The choices we make
by silca
Summary: She dragged him out of the cold and most likely saved his life. Little did he know that returning the favor would change everything.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's note: The predators don't belong to me - sadly...;)**_

_I'm spell-checking this like... well, constantly. And every time I find something new... *sigh* Since English isn't my native tongue, please have mercy with me :D_

* * *

><p><strong>Encounter<strong>

Somewhere, in the middle of a sleepless night...

Since she was 16, Robyn had lived on her own, but never lost contact to her family. She tried so many things, a new job, a new town to live in, not to mention her rather failed attempts on having a stable relationship... all of that appeared to be nothing but worthless, at least to her. Too early to have a midlife crisis and too late to change her past, Robyn decided to start over again, one last time.

Her life right now was a mess, anyway. She decided to use these three weeks of "vacation" to get a little space between her and her current life by spending it 300 miles away close to her parents' house. This was the old house of her uncle, he wanted to sell it soon but agreed that she could stay there for a while. Her parents left the town a weak ago for holiday. That in turn meant Robyn would have two weeks on her own, without nagging questions, in a large cozy house In the middle of nowhere. It was unusual for this time of the year to be still so cold and snowing, but it was okay for Robyn.

Speaking of current life... It was damn hard to leave Alan behind, but there was just no other choice. When she left, Robyn told him she would not come back, at least not to him. Three years they had been together, and she should have ended it sooner. In the beginning, she was the more active part, she wanted him. But as time went on, she saw who he really was, and that he would never change – not for her, not even for himself. Though, all she ever did when something went wrong was running away. She sighed, staring at her laptop, a jar of red wine in her left hand.

_What am I going to do? Where am I going to live, I can't stay here forever... _

She knew she had to find a place to live, a new job and stuff, but right now the familiarity of this place felt good to her, calming, relieving. Taking another sip of wine, her eyes caught something unusual. Outside, it was darkest night, only the snow was glowing white, enlightening the darkness. The moon was vanished in heavy, large clouds. Out there should be nothing but the forest and the animals living in it. The next neighbor lived almost a mile away. Knitting her eyebrows, Robyn tried to get a better look at what was moving in her garden, but all she could see was darkness. Then, there was no movement anymore, everything was still like just minutes ago. Sitting back in her chair and chewing on her lower lip, she contemplated on whether looking for it or not. Well, it could be a hurt animal, or even worse a hurt human, then she just had to help. Robyn was a very imaginative person and that was what worried her – it could be someone who might just played the weak and hurt and then would kill her and rob the house. "Dammit..." she muttered and got up, pulling on her parka and grabbing for the flashlight. Carefully, she opened the door and peeked outside. Slowly walking through the snow, she could now see more clearly what was in her garden. And when she finally reached it, Robyn realized it wasn't a _what_, but a _who_.

_What the heck?_

The flashlight gazed over the body, again and again, not able to comprehend the sight. There was absolutely no way that this could be a human. The creature was huge, some parts of the body were covered by something that looked like light metal. The left side of the upper chest and the shoulder, the feet and wrists, all armored with the metal. Also, there were some leather parts and an odd fishnet-like bodysuit. His face was hidden under a strange metal mask, decorated with many carvings. Silvery eye sockets staring into the night, emotionless. Due to it's impressive stature and that loincloth-thing which covered the more private parts, it seemed to be male. Then, her eyes caught something terrifying. The parts of his body which were not protected, were brutally wounded. Mean slashes like made from a whip, deep wounds as if made by a huge dagger or knife. From almost everywhere, strange, luminescent green blood poured. All of a sudden, Robyn felt sick and developed a very strong need to throw up. Slowly, she sank down on her knees, looking over the creature. Why was he in her garden, how did he came here, and who the hell did this to him?

_Is he dead? He must be._

Robyn carefully reached out to touch the necklace he wore, it was adorned with odd, tiny skulls - The next thing she felt was something very sharp on her throat. Also, a large hand was wrapped painfully around her wrist. Obviously, he was not dead. Attached to his wrist, a double blade had shot out and threatened her neck, Robyn could feel how it slowly cut it's way into her skin. She forced herself to open her in shock closed eyes. Only inches away, the eyes of the mask fixated her. "Hey, hey big guy... I just want to help, please." She was panting, desperately trying to not fall unconscious. The creature grunted, actually roared at her. It frightened the hell out of her. But somehow, he let go of her and Robyn crawled backwards, on hands and feet, not taking her gaze away from him. He observed her, and it seemed that his anger settled a little bit. He wasn't roaring anymore, maybe he was just too weak to do it. Robyn rose up slowly, not wanting to offend him or make him more angry. She approached him carefully, gesturing to her chest with one hand, the other pointed to the same region on his body. He tilted his head slightly to the side, still watching her. Strange clicking sounds emitted from the mask. "You... you are hurt, you need help. Will you let me?" she asked him, trying to speak as less threatening as possible. No reaction. Robyn had no idea how she could help him at all, but she couldn't just let him die in her garden. All of a sudden, he grabbed her wrist again harshly and she found herself in front of his mask once again. Afraid to move, even to breathe, she blinked at him nervously. "Do you really think I could do_ anything _to harm you?." The clicking came again, and then he loosened his grip around her wrist with an annoyed snarl. She reached out for him, hoping he would get the hint. To her surprise, he did and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pushing himself up.

Maybe half an hour later, Robyn was standing in her living room, finally closing the door behind her and sat down on the flat table right in front of the couch. It would've been impossible to maneuver him to the bathroom, he was just too heavy and too exhausted. "Dammit, you're bleeding all over my couch!" Running a hand through her messy hair, she looked over him again, figuring out what to do next. Minutes later, Robyn held the First aid kit from the bathroom in her hands and began to clean his wounds, which was tricky since he was still wearing his armor and the mesh suit beneath. Well, he wouldn't probably be fond of her asking him to take it off. Gently nudging his shoulder, she tried to wake him. "Hey there, I need your help with this, can you sit up?" Robyn raised a brow on his sudden cooperativeness, because he sat up without any protest. More than that, he helped her with his armor, taking off the shoulder pads and the chest protector. While doing this, the silvery eye sockets followed her constantly. The sounds he made were faint and strained, and Robyn could only imagine that any human who would receive such injuries would be dead already. His body fell slack again, and she finished the cleaning and started to bandage his torso. It felt kind of odd and still seemed to be nothing but a weird dream to her, but this green blood, these terrible wounds were real, there was no doubt about that. Robyn doubted that cleaning and bandaging him would help at all, unless his species was able to heal much faster than a human would. Finally, she finished her more or less proper treatment of his injuries and sat back on the table. Running a hand across her face she considered him for long minutes, he seemed to have passed out - again.

_What am I going to do with you anyway? _

Sighing, she made another attempt to wake him, he couldn't just stay there on her couch... "Um... you should rest in a more comfortable place, alright? You think you can take a few more steps, I'll help you." He growled low but followed, leaning on her to support his weight.

_Damn, this guy weighs way too much..._

Slowly, his arm reached around her and it took them another ten minutes to reach the guest room, which was only a few feet away. Heavy like a chunk, he just fell into the bed. Robyn retreated into her own bedroom, trying to comprehend what happened during the last three hours. An Alien, in her garden. Wounded, alone. Robyn always believed that there were other beings out there, no doubt about that. But in her garden? Maybe, a brave citizen would have called the authorities to take care of him, but Robyn wasn't a brave citizen. She knew what they would do to him, and the thought made her shiver. Mankind was all about money, greed and power, she had no illusions according to that. They would torture him, force him to tell them what they wanted to know. If she had left him out there, sooner or later someone would find him. But what should she do? During the next days, there were no appointments, no one would ask for her. She had let him into her house, offered her help to him. _She_ had initiated this, and helping him as good as she can would only be the right thing to do.

_Oh hey Ma, yeah I'm fine, guess what? I found an Alien in the backyard and now he's sleeping in grandpa's guest room! _

Robyn couldn't hide a grin, imagining her mother on the phone. Every time her mother called her, she just wanted to know every damn single detail of her life. She was a grown woman and found that rather annoying, but she could also understand her mother's behavior. Anyway, a sleeping Alien would be_ too much_ information, even for her mother. The situation was anything but humorous, but sometimes these weird thoughts helped her to calm down. It did not fail its purpose this time. Well, Robyn doubted that he was harmless at all, his armor had many attachments with lots of pockets and places to put stuff into it, weapons, devices, things like that. Even the leather straps seemed to be made for holding something in them. But somehow, he either lost all that stuff or someone had taken it from him and disarmed him completely. He wanted to kill her at first, of that she was sure. But wasn't that only natural when someone had beaten the hell out of you and left you to die? Even though it was 5 in the morning and she was tired as hell, she just couldn't think of sleep and preferred to stay awake until she could be sure about her guest's attitude and plans. Sneaking downstairs into the living room, she enlightened the fireplace and cuddled up into a seat, wrapping herself up in a blanket, staring into the flames. When she woke up next, the sun was already setting down again. Had she slept that long? She threw more wood into the fireplace and decided to look after her patient.

He was still lying there, as if he hadn't moved since he fell down into the bed yesterday. With a pack of new bandages she sat down besides him, sighing deeply. He must have felt her presence because suddenly he rose up from his horizontal position, tilted his head and made that strange clicking sound again. "Hey there, I just want to change your bandages and take a look at your wounds. No need to threaten me again, okay?" she told him softly and began her work. He grunted, and it sounded a little stronger than yesterday, maybe he had already recovered a bit? As she inspected the wounds, Robyn realized that he indeed recovered faster than any human would. They were not inflamed and seemed to heal quickly.

_Tough bastard. _

She thought to herself, smiling softly at him when she finished. She couldn't help but take a closer look at his skin, it was of a very dark brownish-green tone, very thick and more like a reptilian hide. It was rough but yet smooth to the touch. On the insides of his arms and down his chest and abdomen, the color was of a lighter beige. "Healing quickly, unbelievable." Robyn said mesmerized, watching him fall back into the pillows. He still needed to rest. Robyn left the room quickly to bring him some water, he had to be thirsty... at least she would be. She was curious about what lies behind that mask, but if he wanted her to see him he would let her know, she thought. Placing the glass on the table besides the bed, she looked at him a little bit insecure. "So... if you need anything, I'm right outside okay? I just have to do a little everyday's business." Just as she wanted to leave, she heard him growl again and turned around.

_"Name, ooman?" _

Robyn heard it loud and clear, but though it felt so unreal. He actually said something, the voice sounded metallic, deep and rough. "Did you... did you just asked my name?" He only nodded and waited for a response. _He's gotta be kidding me there is no way he can understand me, or speak english... could he? _"Robyn, my name is Robyn."

He chirped softly to her, then he continued,_ "Rhajk'de,"_ pressing a hand to his chest, _"Thank... you."_

Robyn could only stare at him in disbelief. "You're welcome." she answered sheepishly and headed out of the room. Robyn almost ran through the house, she was nervous and restless. If she would not calm down immediately, she was sure to freak out completely.

_This is not helpful, remember, he has no reason to do you harm, you helped him. Freaking out is pointless, just stay calm and get this over with. At his healing rate, it won't take him long to get back wherever he belongs to. Just do the right thing, once in your life. _

She sighed and took a deep breath, deciding to have a long shower and afterwards, eat. Damn she was starving.

* * *

><p>Rhajk'de still was unable to grasp his current situation. He was in an ooman habitation, laying in an ooman bed which was obviously way to small for him. He tried to recall what happened, but his memories were clouded and blurred. The last thing he knew for sure was that he hunted a bunch of bad bloods. Not any bad bloods, but those who have slaughtered his bearer and two of his brothers. It was his duty as Arbitrator to act as judge and executioner the same, but as Son and brother he would savor the moment when they would die from nothing but his hands. He found them, here on that backwater planet, it took him months to track them down. They were hiding here, they knew about his aversion for oomans. He cursed at himself inwardly, how could he have been so stupid? This planet was foreign territory and they knew it, they knew his hatred made him blind and reckless. It was a trap, and he stepped into it like an ignorant youngblood. The elders of his clan had doubts about his status as arbitrator, although he was a highly ranked elite warrior who never failed in his hunts and tasks. Though, it was unaccustomed to rise in such a rank at his age, most hunters would prefer to enlarge their trophy walls for as long as possible instead. Maybe they were right, maybe sending him after those bad bloods was a trial, and he failed at it. They were three.. he killed two of them even though they poisoned him, sedated him, the last one whipped the shit out of him - <em>with my whip!<em>- before everything went black. Of course, there was nothing he could do about it. He was sedated, no honorable Yautja would use such tactics. He needed to find the escaped bad blood, and if it was the last thing he would do. He would prove the elders wrong, show them that he was more than worthy of his rank. And then... there was this light he saw, an ooman building, a fireplace inside... These paukers took his weapons, the medicomp, everything useful. His shiftsuit was broken, that was the worst thing. His species was not used to the icy temperatures here, and although his wounds might have been mortal, he probably would have survived them – but he couldn't endure the cold for much longer. After hours lying in the freezing coldness, his body was numb and his skin could easily break on any motion.

_This is ridiculous, can't even get off this goddamn planet!_

The steering mechanism for his ship in the orbit was damaged, too. His only chance was the drop ship. It could not bring him out of here, but the communication device inside could be still functional, if the bad bloods hadn't destroyed it, too. There was only one person who would pick him up, only one person he could call – his brother. Net'ej and Rhajk'de were not the average brothers who go through everything together, but they were brothers still and he knew he could count on him, especially when it was for hunting that bad blood down. But his body was still too weak. He would need a day or two to regain his strength and search for the drop ship, and even then it would take at least one more cycle until Net'ej would arrive. He could not expect the ooman female to allow him to stay here until he would be picked up, could he? If anybody knew he was here... the oomans would try to catch him, to get his technology, maybe running experiments on him... he snarled at that, that must not happen, he wouldn't allow it. What if she called someone, already? No, that was rather doubtful, if she had, they would already be here. She didn't have to help him, she could've just let him die... which she didn't. Well, Rhajk'de didn't like oomans. He never hunted them because to him, they weren't even proper prey. They were nothing but cowardly pathetic beings, talking too much, no honor at all. If he would still be a youngblood, he would probably wreak havoc all over this house, scaring the hell out of that little female. He grinned inwardly, lucky for her, he wasn't a youngblood anymore. Over the years, he had grown patient, and he was also able to admit one's courage. And to accept help, although it unnerved him that it must have been an ooman to help him. Like every honorable hunter, he would never kill someone who was unarmed or defenseless, sick or pregnant. The female was brave, there was no doubt about it. She offered her help without even knowing who or what he was.

He would be dead without her, if he liked it or not.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ooman - Human (slang)<strong>_

_**Pauk - fuck (used as expletive or also... you know what )**_


	2. Chapter 2

Robyn was so nervous that she started to bake, something she usually did very seldom. But it helped her relax so many times that she just had to do it now. Afterwards, she allowed herself a wonderful, hot shower which made her almost forget about the awkward situation. Slipping into some casual, comfortable trousers and a longsleeve, she tied her hair up in a loose knot and opened the bathroom door, sighing at the smell of freshly baked brownies. Clumsily, she ran into something very hard - which baffled her since she didn't knew there was a wall in this spot. Looking up, she saw there was no wall, but her visitor standing right in front her. "Jesus christ!" she exhaled startled, pressing a hand to her chest.

He tilted his head slightly, considering her strange behavior. _"What is that smell?" _Rhajk'de asked gravely.

Robyn had to fight hard to get that stupid look out of her face. "Smell, what... oh, you mean the brownies? I made them, something I do when I am... let's say, stressed." Having no idea what "brownies" were and deciding he didn't care, Rhaijk'de followed her downstairs. If he intended to stay here, even for a few days, he needed to familiarize with his environment. Robyn took the brownies out of the oven and placed them on the table.

_"Food?" _he trilled interested_. _

"Yes, food, but they're too hot and need to cool down a little bit." Robyn awkwardly informed him.

_I am hungry! She can't expect me to eat... this?_

Robyn felt a little uncomfortable since he watched her constantly. "Are you... hungry?" He only nodded and continued his observation of her before he started to inspect her house. "Okay ... what do you eat? Are you carnivorous, or vegetarian or what..."

_"Omnivorous." _He stated dryly and examined her house further_._

Fortunately, the fridge was well filled and she decided to prepare some fine rump steaks. To be honest, Robyn's cooking skills weren't really good, but she planned on improving them. Although there was a fair chance to burn down the house with her attempt on cooking, she would rather risk that instead of him getting the idea to actually _eat_ her. There was a nagging voice in her head that kept on telling her that this was crazy, that she was insane, that none of this could be real. But Robyn tried to block that out as best as she could, pretending that everything was normal. To be able to communicate with him was more than helpful, and she felt a little excited to may have the chance to learn about another culture, a culture not even from this planet. "Shouldn't you rest a little bit more, I mean... you were dying in my garden just yesterday." She heard a growl from somewhere in the living room, but the answer came quickly.

_"Am bored, want to know about this place. Will heal quickly." _

Robyn chuckled and turned around to face him, another question heavy on her tongue. "So you... do not plan on hurting me, do you? You know like, hey let's eat the strange human...?" she asked him, giving him an uneasy look.

_What the Pauk? Why would she think that, have I not assured her that I mean no harm? _"_Why would I hurt you? Offered me your help and aided me." _

Robyn felt very stupid about her question, but she couldn't help it. "Um, okay... thanks. So, how is it you can understand me?"

_"My biomask translates my words, and yours. But it is not perfect. Do not speak your language since... am not interested in oomans." _

"Oomans, you mean humans?"

_"Yes, like I said."_

Robyn raised a brow and returned to her preparation.

_"You look tired." _The voice came directly from behind her and Robyn almost cried out at the sudden closeness.

"Well, I am tired, I did not sleep well last night."

_"Why is that?" _

She gave him another doubtful look. "Because an Alien is in my house? I have to adjust to this situation, okay?" Robyn turned around again, trying to calm her breathing and relax.

_"Strange situation for me, too. But can leave if you wish, not meant to scare you." _

"Listen... I am okay with you being here, as long as I know you won't gut me during my sleep or something like that. You look rather... fierce."

Rhajk'de made a rattling noise, then he turned away from her again. _"Am fierce,"_ was the simple answer she received.

Robyn smiled to herself, at least he didn't care lying to her, which was a good thing. 24 hours had passed and she was still alive, which was also a good thing. He had settled on a chair and Robyn caught herself observing him a little closer. He wore his armor again, and there was no doubt about that he was able to kill her without any effort. He was at least 7.2 feet tall, packed with muscles all over, but not too much, though - It fitted him, somehow. Looking down on herself, she felt miserable, maybe it would be better if she wouldn't eat at all. "So... the meal will be ready in about half an hour, shall I bring it to your room then? I'm sure you won't waste your time with a creature being so boring like me...

Normally, he would agree with such a statement. Oomans were hideous, ugly and weak creatures. But she was still a female, ooman or not, and he should respect her.

_"Do not mind eating with you, but that would imply that you will see my face." _

_Ha! That would be amusing._

Rhajk'de could only imaging the look on her face when he would show himself to her. Since he didn't hunt oomans, he only heard the tales of his hunt brothers about how easily they could be scared, and that some of them even shit their pants on seeing a hunter's face roaring at them. Then again, showing his face to her in that particular situation would mean to trust her. It amazed him how calm she seemed to be and he saw no threat in trusting her, maybe he could achieve her trust, too?

Robyn fumbled nervously at her pants, she could swear that he smirked at her. "Well, since you are a guest in this house, it would only be fair to know who's hiding under that mask."

Rhajk'de trilled at her in amusement, maybe these few days would not be as annoying as he thought.

* * *

><p>The meal was on the table, and Robyn really tried to pretend that everything was like always. But unfortunately, it wasn't possible, she knew what was about to come. He was towering over her, his head slightly tilted to the side and Robyn could only stare up at him, waiting. Slowly, he took off the tubes attached to his biomask. There was a hissing sound and he lowered the mask, pinning it to his belt.<p>

For a brief moment, Robyn was almost about to cry out in terror, but she kept her composure. Within these seconds, her brain denied her to think properly, as if it wanted to protect her from mindless screaming. Wide eyes gazing over his features, trying to understand, to comprehend, to make sense of what she saw. No nose, no lips at all. Four tusks sitting around a maw in what seemed to be mandibles. He spread them out, flexing and stretching slowly. His mouth was equipped with very, very sharp teeth. His brow ridge pulled into what seemed to be a tensed, expectant expression, as if he waited for her to say something. Robyn did not care if it was rude to stare, she wasn't done with her observation. Above and beside the brow ridge, there were small black barbs, and around his upper skull was a bone crest. She was lacking of descriptions, but she still tried to find them, for the sake of her sanity. Those barbs appeared to be from the same material as his strange black, long and tube-like hair.

_I don't think thats actually hair..._

And then her eyes found his, and some of the terrors in her inside eased. Amber eyes pierced her, watching her as she watched him. They were so alien, but yet they held something assuring, something warm. Something that helped her to accept him to be simply alien. And to be really here. Well, from a humans point of view he wasn't the son in law of your dreams, and Robyn was sure that most people would find his appearance rather repulsive and awful as hell. Deep inside, Robyn was relieved that she had always been a person who could adjust quickly, accept and tolerate things just as they were. And, logically considered, she was as alien to him as he was to her. She felt better now that she was able to regard him with curiosity instead of fear. She inhaled, then exhaled deeply, feeling herself relax. Finally breaking the strange staring contest, her eyes roamed over him once more, ending their travel in his eyes again. Then she smiled, almost shy, but it was definitely a smile...

Well, that was not supposed to happen. Rhajk'de had expected her to run, scream, cry or whatever. And at first, she seemed to react just like that – almost. Right know, she only looked at him, unable to take her eyes from his. Somehow, he couldn't either. Her eyes were of a dark, brownish green and they held no panic, no disgust. Her soft and weak ooman features were still so strange to him, so he concentrated on those eyes. Unintentionally, he sniffed the air around him. He could hardly interpret her facial expressions, reading her scent was the easiest and most effective way to do so. Unpleasantly chemical fragrances concealed what he wanted to find out, but Rhajk'de was still able to smell just a little bit of her own, natural scent. He chirped softly, she wasn't scared and he had not expected her to be curious. Why did he care about what she thought right now at all? He found her highly repulsive, didn't he? He already started to contemplate on his last thought when reason knocked some sense in his head, stopped his pointless inner debate and reminded him of his empty stomach.

Clearing her throat, Robyn sat down and motioned for Rhajk'de to do the same. He eyed his meal rather critically, wondering how oomans could violate a good meat like that. Robyn wasn't sure if he could understand her without the mask, but it was more than obvious that he was not really happy over the food she had prepared. "You can have something else if you want." she said, speaking slowly and clear. He only gave her a rumble, then he led the fork to his mouth. It was hard to not laugh at the sight, he looked rather clumsy on his attempt on using a fork. Although that wasn't pleasant at all, Rhajk'de tried to honor her traditions and use that unnecessary fork. Robyn concentrated on poking in her own food, noting that the steak was a little _too_ well done but yet tasted very good. She did not meant to stare at him, but it was somewhat intriguing. You wouldn't expect him to eat so slow, thoroughly and careful. But actually, he did. Giving herself a mental slap, Robyn remembered that he wasn't a ferocious animal, even though one could think that considering his face, and those teeth... Suddenly, he took his eyes from the food and looked at her, growling something she could hardly understand.

_"N'got."_ he rumbled, then continued eating until his plate was empty.

Laying her fork aside, she tried to make sense of what he said. Considering the satisfied look on his face and the empty plate, she assumed that he liked it. "You think that's... _good_?" Rhajk'de nodded and leaned back in his chair.

He found it somewhat amusing that this was the first time in his life a female had prepared a meal for him, besides of his bearer back when he was a pup. Not that this was something a yautja female would do for a male, at all. He wasn't too fond of eating that lame excuse for a meal, but it turned out to be edible. His wounds were healing properly, maybe tomorrow he could leave the house to seek for the dropship. Rhajk'de equipped his mask again, watching her while she cleared up the table.

_"You have a place for me to clean my armor?" _He asked her, not leaving her out of his sight.

"Wherever you like. I could enlighten the fireplace if you want, you can do it there it's really comfy." Robyn grinned and placed the plates inside the dishwasher.

_What is "comfy"? But fireplace sounds nice, it's damn cold here._

"_That will be suitable." _He told her and rose up from his chair.

Robyn entered the living room and enlightened the fireplace. Afterwards, she brought him some cloth and a cleaning paste for the metal. Again, he towered over her and Robyn began to feel uncomfortable.

Rhajk'de could smell the change in her scent, something was not right. _"Have I offended you, female?" _

Robyn was irritated, hasn't she told him her name? "No, you haven't. But I would prefer being called by my name. It's Robyn, remember? But there is something else... I need to do a little shopping tomorrow, there are things I need to buy. I am... I don't know if I can leave you alone here...? I don't even know why you are here or how long you plan to stay. That's just a little confusing." She was helpless, lacking of words.

Rhajk'de regarded her carefully, she seemed to be nervous. _"You can leave if you wish. Give you my word, will behave myself." _The look on her face was priceless, Rhajk'de gave her a grin, aware that she couldn't identify it as a grin yet.

She recognized his expression had changed, but she wasn't sure what it meant. Leaving him alone here could be dangerous, what if someones knocks at the door? All of a sudden, something strange happened. There was a sound, a sound that came from him. It seemed to emit from deep within his chest, up his throat and straight into her brain.

_What is he doing, is he... purring at me?_

It was a natural reaction to purr at a female who is scared or angered, and for a yautja male it can be a lifesaver in certain... situations with females. He wasn't sure if it had an effect on her, but he couldn't stop it anyway. Somehow, Robyn felt herself relax a bit. "Hey big guy, I don't know what you're doing but whatever it is - you better stop it, it's scary. So, you promise to stay here and kill no one, okay?" He only nodded and crouched down on the floor, inspecting the things she brought him for cleaning his armor. "Uhm, I think you want to have a little private time, I'll be going upstairs okay. Call me, if you need something."

Rhajk'de tilted his head and looked at her, thinking. Having an ooman around was something he wasn't used to. But though, this was her house and he was a guest. She shouldn't have to hide in her own house. Also, he found her company not that unpleasant as he thought it would be and was eager to learn more about her. _"Can stay, do not mind. Will answer questions you have." _

Robyn wondered if it would be a good idea to stay, but it was an offer she couldn't refuse. "Questions? And what questions would that be, if I may ask?"

Rhajk'de chuckled, but didn't take his attention from cleaning his belongings. _"You are curious, it is obvious. Do not deny."_

Robyn smiled, dumbfounded. But it was true, her curiosity was killing her. She went into the kitchen to pour herself a jar of wine, then she sat down in a chair near the fireplace. No, she wasn't an alcoholic, even though her mother had called her that more than once. Cleaning one's armor seemed to be an almost ritualistic thing in his culture, because he did it so incredibly slow and thoughtful. Robyn wondered how it was possible for him to heal so quickly. Besides the bandages and his rare expressions and grunts of slight pain, he seemed to have recovered well. And it took him only one and a half day. He wore the body net, a loincloth and some other armor pieces made of leather, the metal parts were spread out on the floor and each received it's thorough care. Robyn wondered when he had taken his armor off, somehow she didn't remember that. Robyn tried to figure out what to ask first but decided to just ask right away. "What were you doing in my garden?"

Rhajk'de continued the cleaning, contemplating on how to form an answer she would understand. _"Hunted bad bloods. I failed. Almost killed me." _

"You hunted them? So you're a hunter?"

_"Yes. Males of my species live for the hunt. Am more than that, honored warrior. Recently arbitrator." _

"Arbitrator... you serve the law?"

_"Am law, judge and executioner. Yes." _

Robyn took another sip of wine and regarded him carefully. A highly developed civilization, traveling through space to hunt. "What do you hunt?"

_"Worthy prey. Prey that can defend itself, sentient and intelligent. Hunt oomans, too. But not me. Not worthy." _

Well, that statement didn't really made her feel good. "So, you don't hunt humans because they aren't good enough to be killed?"

Rhajk'de snarled, he knew she would not understand. _"It is no challenge to kill them. Do not make good trophies to mount on my wall. Arbitrators do not necessarily have to hunt for status anymore, already high ranked. Hunt bad bloods. Kill another yautja is dishonorable. Need to be executed." _

Again, she learned something new, his species called themselves "Yautja" and honor was highly valued. "What do your females do?"

_"Rule homeworld. Raise pups. Politics. Females stronger and bigger than males, very aggressive." _

She grinned, bigger than_ him_? Poor males.

After an hour, he was done with his cleaning and looked at her first, then to the jar in her hand. It was almost empty. _"What is that?"_ he pointed to the jar_. _

"Wine, an alcoholic beverage made of a fruit called grape."

He trilled at her, suggesting that he might want to have some, too. _I would kill for a bottle of c'ntlip right now!_

Rhajk'de rose up and stalked to the kitchen, grabbing the bottle and returned. Before Robyn could say anything, her jar was filled again and her guest seemed to prefer the whole bottle.

The beverage was tolerable, but where was the alcohol? He wondered and looked at the female, tilting his head to the side.

"Seems like you are used to the strong stuff, mh?" she asked him with a smile he could not interpret.

Rhajk'de assumed that due to her smaller build, the amount of alcohol in that ridiculous drink was just right for her. It was her second glass and he already noticed that her behavior had changed slightly. She was much more relaxed than just a few hours ago. Rhajk'de approved of that, he didn't like her being scared and nervous.

"Well, thank you for telling me a little bit about your culture. I know I might not have understood everything, but I hope we can have another session like this, if it's alright with you."

_"Yes, would like that much. Yautja strong, honorable culture. Will teach you more soon. Want to know about you." _Rhajk'de made himself comfortable on the floor, watching her as she took a large sip of wine.

"There is not much to tell. I live a rather boring, normal life. I have a small family, parents and two brothers. I live on my own since many years and worked in an office until a few weeks ago. I made lots of mistakes in my past, and I am afraid that won't change in the future. So, cheers!" She raised her cup and nipped at it again.

_"Where is your mate?" _

Robyn gave him a quizzical look. "My what?"

_"Mate. Male who breeds you." _

Robyn blushed furiously and almost spat her drink all over the floor, her face turned from confusion to a mixture of shame and shock. _What in all the hells in this universe...?_

Rhajk'de had heard that oomans mated permanently, which was a foreign concept to his kind. Due to the life as a hunter and to being away for months, it simply made no sense. "I don't think it's time for us yet to get _that _personal, don't you think? But actually, I have no mate. Not anymore."

_"Oomans not mate permanently?" _

"No, no not at all. I would rather call it temporarily, it is really rare that two stay together for all their life."

Rhajk'de contemplated over her last words. Where did his sudden pointless interest in oomans, especially in her, came from? Maybe he was too blunt with his questions?_ "Did not meant to offend you. Was curious. Males would fight over a female to gain mating right. Females of my kind do not mate outside their heat cycle, they would not tolerate a male who tried, maybe even kill. Oomans much different. Do not understand." _

Robyn felt relief wash over her. Not that this part of his culture wasn't interesting, but the hole conversation ran a little out of hand. But she couldn't blame him, their cultures were so different that it was only natural to misunderstand something. "Don't worry about that, it's okay. I don't understand human males either." An awkward silence settled between them up to a point where Robyn felt rather uncomfortable, and a little tipsy. "Okay big guy, I'm going to sleep. Don't make a mess here okay. See you tomorrow." She rose from her chair and walked over to the stairs.

_"Sleep well this night." _Rhajk'de murmured softly, aware that she had not heard him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>C'ntlip - Drink, intoxicating beverage<strong>_

_**Yautja - the predator species **_


	3. Chapter 3

**Consequences**

Robyn's worries about leaving him alone in the house while she was out proved to be unfounded, except of the fact that he actually tried to have a bath and flooded her bathroom while doing that. The rest of the day was rather uneventful, Rhajk'de was concentrated and quiet. Robyn knew that he would leave the safety of the house tonight, the question what he was about to do at all made her wonder. The possibility that the bad blood he told her about was still here was small, but not completely negligible.

Rhajk'de had spent the day rather withdrawn, but though he continued to watch the female during her daily routines. In the late afternoon hours, he found himself eagerly listening to her ooman tales. And to his pleasure, she seemed to enjoy his tales of the hunt as well. She was very curious about his kind, though she showed her interest in the most respectful way, patiently waiting for him to form reasonable answers she would understand. Yautja lived a life without much interaction with other species – except of hunting them. They also tried to avoid contact with species capable of interstellar travel, most of them wouldn't even understand their way of life. A culture, so highly developed in science and technology but yet so bound to thousands of years old rituals and traditions was something very rare, if not unique.

A society built on a strict hierarchy system and a code of honor was not easy to understand for Robyn, but she tried. Although this way of living seemed to be sometimes cruel or really old-fashioned, she also found it oddly worthwhile.

As the night came closer, Rhajk'de sensed that she seemed to be stressed, unsettled. But why he did not know. Was it because he wanted to leave the house? Of course, if he got caught by oomans they would surely know that _she _had helped him and gave him shelter. But Rhajk'de was a seasoned hunter, one of the best. The chance that somebody would even see him was ridiculously small.

Robyn on the other hand tried to relax. He would contact his people, then he would come back, nothing could go wrong. And soon, they will pick him up and everything will be just as normal as before. She sighed and turned away from her laptop, suddenly meeting his gaze. He clicked to her softly but said nothing. "Are you spying on me?" she asked him quietly, with a playful smile on her lips.

_"No, of course not. Wondered, you seem tense." _

"It's okay, just one of these days... so you're about to go?" He only nodded and turned around, facing the door. He was fully armored and looked just impressive. Menacing, powerful and deadly. "Okay... take care." she advised and watched him leave silently through the back door.

* * *

><p>Casually striding into the kitchen, Robyn poured herself a crystal of red wine and slumped down into the chair near the fireplace. The phone in her hand, she tried to decide whether to call Alan or not. She knew he had tried to reach her on the cell about fucking 500 times today. She wasn't cruel, but why couldn't he understand? She had enough of his immature and selfish behavior and she knew, if she had not made a clean cut back then, she would have never been able to leave him. And so she did, receiving a nice backhand for her courage. Well, he apologized – but even without the slap, there would've been no turning back for Robyn. Who the hell was he to slap her anyway? Never in her life a man had raised a hand against her, and never will she let that happen again. Robyn threw the phone carelessly on the couch. He didn't deserve a call.<p>

* * *

><p>The night was cool and calm. Without any sound, Rhajk'de sneaked into the darkness like the predator he was. Foreign animals called out into the night, but these were the only sounds to be heard. Stopping on a small glade, Rhajk'de activated his gauntlet and started to tap the coordinates of the drop ship into it, waiting for the holographic display of the surrounding forest. It was still there, and there were no heat signatures to be seen around, which was a good sign. Satisfied, he moved on into the direction of the vessel. Once inside, Rhajk'de discovered that the communication device was still intact, he snorted in relief and scrolled down the interface until he found the data he was searching for. Tapping a claw lightly on the coordinates of his brother's ship, Rhajk'de could do nothing else but wait. Approximately ten minutes later, the communication device demanded his attention. <em>Well, that was fast. <em>He thought, spreading out a mandible in delight.

_"Rhajk, where the hell are you! I have been searching for you, elder Hurkah told me about your stupid plans!" _A rough voice ringed in his ears, Rhajk'de hated when Net'ej spoke like this, it was annoying to be yelled at.

_"Calm down pup, I am alright. But I need you to pick me up. Due to the short time you needed to answer I assume you are not far away from earth?" _

_"Earth? You really followed them to earth? Why have you not asked me to assist you?" _

Hearing that, Rhajk'de was tempted to end the conversation, but unfortunately he couldn't afford that. _"Why would I need the assistance of a youngblood? An arbitrator works alone, remember?" _

_"Of course I do, you think I am retarded? But going after three bad bloods is dangerous, especially when you know it is a trap... and you knew it, didn't you?" _

Rhajk'de growled, he was right. He knew it, but he was blinded by vengeance. _"I will not discuss this right now, brother, will you just take your ass down here and pick me up?" _

_"I will, but I think I need at least half a cycle. I spotted the signal of your ship but I could not locate your position exactly. I will track the signal of your gauntlet once I am close enough. Have you killed them?" _

_"One has survived and fled. I was mortally wounded." _Silence.

_"Mortally wounded... but you are alive, how have you..." _

_"You will shut your face__** right know**__ and come here, you heard me!" _Rhajk'de barked at his brother. Net'ej gave a row of unnerved but approving clicks, then he ended the conversation.

Stepping outside the dropship, he took a flask from his belt and poured a small amount of blue liquid over the vessel. It began to dissolve quickly, leaving nothing but a small heap of dust. He must not leave traces, it was his responsibility to erase any proof. It was a clear night with a full moon and Rhajk'de felt tempted to just stay outside, to observe the creatures which inhabit these woods, to enjoy and fathom the many unfamiliar scents, maybe to stalk some prey... But without the possibility to cloak himself when needed and the fact that this was still foreign territory, it would be too risky. He suppressed his primal need to do so and quickly made his way back to the female's home. Taking another route this time, he suddenly noticed something alarming. Hidden under lush bushes was a corpse, the corpse of a youngling. The sensors in his mask quickly detected the reason for the pup's death: his sternum had been broken from the inside. _A chestburster. _Rhajk'de thought, not understanding how this could happen. It was usual for hunters to keep hard meat larvae on their ships, but as an arbitrator, he had none of those aboard. The only explanation were the bad bloods. They must have had chestbursters on their ship, either they had escaped the ship or... had been left here intentionally.

_C'jit!_

Rhajk'de couldn't care less if Kainde amedha would raid this planet, as long as it wasn't his fault. Also, one or two of them could not reproduce on their own, they had no queen and would not be able to survive over a longer period of time. But that made them not less deadly, at least not for the oomans. Then again, he would not mind another skull to mount on his wall. Rhajk'de growled low from his chest, he was more than eager to hunt, the more of them, the better it would be. He sniffed the air around him in anticipation and silent as the death himself, he started to track them down.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Robyn had recovered from an one-hour talk with her mother and just came out of the tub, when something outside caught her attention. She froze immediately. From the corner of her eye, she saw something rush past the kitchen window, something very fast and very black.<p>

_**That **__was not Rhajk'de..._

She did not know why, but a terrible fear overcame her and forced her to search for something to defend herself with, _anything. _She sneaked downstairs, desperately trying to calm her breathing and to avoid any sound. When she finally reached the kitchen, Robyn opened a drawer and grabbed for the largest steak knife she could find.

_What the heck am I doing? I don't even know why I am so afraid, it could've been just a black cat..._

Reality proved her wrong when she heard sounds from upstairs, it were steps. And certainly, there was no way that these steps could belong to a harmless cat. She tried to hide behind the door, but her heart was pumping so hard, so loud that she thought one could hear it beating from the other side of the street. Her hands clenched around the knife, sweating and shaking. Still, she didn't know who or what the intruder was, the most primal part of her brain had taken over and alarmed her that the situation was dangerous, more dangerous than anything else ever was before. All of a sudden Robyn heard a nasty hiss and the sound of shaking teeth, and she held her breath. It was so close, so damn close. What happened next was pure instinct. It was like all her thoughts were suddenly silenced. The creature was at the other side of the door, and when Robyn was able to see the first inches of a glistening black skull, she stabbed it. A loud, awful screaming hiss made her leave her hideout. There she was, in the middle of her kitchen, sweating like hell, her body flooded with adrenaline and fear. Right there in the living room, a black serpent-like creature writhed on the floor, still it was screaming in a tone that made Robyn's ears hurt. The knife still stuck deep in his head, but all of a sudden it was back on his feet and charged in her direction.

_Oh, fuck._

* * *

><p>Rhajk'de stalked through the woods when an almost inaudible sound reached his ears. He froze, scanning the environment. Something was here, something had lurked. In a swift and graceful motion, he turned around and reached upwards, grabbing for the long, black tail. With immense power, he pulled and the hard meat landed directly in front of his feet. Within a second, it pulled itself up and hissed, the sharp and deadly tail swirled around, trying to puncture Rhajk'de's chest. But this was no challenge, almost too easy even without his equipment. He ducked and dodged successfully, then he reached for it's neck to keep a safe distance. With a dark rumble, he extended his left wristblade and rammed it into the beast's guts, impaling it. He held it high above his head, and with a versed move, cut it in half and let it fall back to the ground. Spreading his mandibles in a silent roar, he knelt down and looked it over.<p>

_Too easy. _

As he looked around, Rhajk'de realized that he could see the female's house. If this hard meat was so close to it, what if there was another one, already inside? With a ferocious roar, he abandoned his trophy and marched towards the house.

She stabbed a knife directly into it's brain, and it seemed to have received no damage from it. Robyn swallowed hard and was not able to look away from the creature. It was quick, and strong. Robyn felt her head being slammed hard against the wall and she heard something crack. The Impact was of such strength and brutality that she cried out in shock, her body went numb instantly. Her cry, however, died quickly. All of this happened in only a second, but for Robyn it seemed to be an eternity. Her back hurt like hell, she was sure her spine was broken. It was getting harder and harder to form a clear thought because her head felt dazed and broken, too. She felt like throwing up. Everything was _wrong_, so dull and surreal. The monster was still there, his eyeless head so close to her, savoring her agony. She was so damn tired. When it opened his mouth, a second, much smaller mouth-part extended, reaching for her. Then, everything went black.

The hard meat was so concentrated on giving her a headbite that it didn't even recognize the furious male behind it. Rhajk'de had no time to play around, and with a precisely conducted cut, the head of the hardmeat was off. He looked down, was that a_ knife _in it's head? And then, he saw her. The world around stood still and he had problems to comprehend what just happened. With a strong kick of his foot he shoved the corpse of the hard meat away and watched the unconscious female slowly slip down the wall. Her vital signals were weak - she was dying. He crouched down and adjusted his gauntlet to scan her further. She had received major damage, her skull was fractured and her spine broken. Also, she seemed to have inner bleedings according to the hard crush against the wall. Rhajk'de roared, but it sounded so oddly strained and almost painful that it shocked him. He was worried for her, and no matter how many arguments came to his mind telling him that he should not care, he realized that he actually _did_ care. She had saved his life but there was no way that he could save her, could he? He had no med kit and her first aid kit wouldn't help at all. Putting his reservations aside, he sat down with his back against the wall and positioned the female between his legs, his chest against her back. He was careful not to hurt her further and rested her head against his shoulder. He felt helpless, a feeling he had almost forgotten about. Closing his eyes, he tried to concentrate, to make sense. His chest heaved up and down with his breathing, moving her whole body with him.

_Breathe with me, be strong_ he thought and started purring to her, hoping that his brother would be here soon. It was her only chance.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Kainde amedha - Hard Meat (Aliens)<strong>_

_** **_C'jit! - Damn!_** **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's note: thank you for your kind reviews so far, I can only imagine that it's quite irritating to decipher my writing... ;)**_

* * *

><p>The soft humming of the ship combined with the very dim, reddish light had something hypnotizing. And almost hypnotized, he truly was. Sitting in a large chair, he ran a hand over his face while staring at the motionless body laying on the examination table. The chair turned by 180 degrees and a holographic display of her body appeared in front of him. <em>Pauk! <em>He thought, distressed. He had expected her anatomy being very different from his own. They both were humanoids, of course. But everything else... her nervous system, metabolism, bone structure, circulatory system... Rhajk'de had no idea how to fix her, what had possessed him to even think of that? He had not left the room since he brought her, almost a cycle ago. Yautja technology was far more developed than that of the oomans, but Rhajk'de's ship was made to fit his needs, it only offered the most necessary medical devices. It was his own, almost like a home to him since back then, when he became a warrior. He had done what he could to stabilize the female, fixed her spine and healed the fracture of her skull. But she was still comatose and the holograph he was looking at showed him why. Tiny fissures crossed the tissue of her brain, witnessing of a brutal impact. This would clearly resume in a cerebral hemorrhage - and that would be her death. There was no way he could repair that, he was no medic. To try would, certainly, kill her. He wanted her to live, but he surely would not present her to a medic on the clan ship. If she were Yautja, her body would eventually heal itself.

_If she will not wake from her Dhi'ki-de soon, there is no hope for her._

* * *

><p>Earlier this day, Net'ej tried to knock sense in his head, make him understand that this was not right, that he would dishonor himself by aiding such a feeble creature. Net'ej understood that she had helped his brother, but yet he was sure Rhajk'de was taking his sense of honor <em>way<em> too far. But Rhajk'de was stubborn, had always been.

"_This is nothing but madness!"_ Net'ej told him, and Rhajk'de had a simple answer to that.

"_This is my ship and I can do whatever the fuck I want to!"_

His brother only shook his head and huffed. "_Right know you are acting like a jerk while I play the wise, calm and settled older one. You know it should be the other way?"_ he stated.

Normally, Rhajk would not lose his calm so easily, but he just had not been in a situation like this before. _"Forgive me, brother. Of course you are right, I am the older one and I should not have reacted like I did. I will not put my honor at risk nor will I dishonor you. Someday, when you are older you will understand my actions, and you will learn to accept and value the courage of another, even if it will be... an ooman. No one must know about this, you understand?" _

_"Sei-i." _Net'ej nodded. "_May I leave now, my presence on the clan ship is required._"

"_Of course." _

Net'ej peeked past his brother at the female, then back to Rhajk'de. _"May I add, she's not __**that**__ ugly, for an ooman." _

_"__You may__** not! Be gone!"**_ Rhajk'de barked, suppressing the strong need to knock that stupid grin out of Net'ej's face.

* * *

><p>As the hours passed, Rhajk'de could no longer ignore the inevitability of her death. <em>There might be a way... <em>A faint voice in his head said, and Rhajk'de wondered if he was going crazy to even think of _that. _Among the elders it was said that many years ago, a high ranked Yautja Veteran gave his blood to an ooman female. During a hunt on the blue planet, he found her almost dead in a street, she had been raped and tortured by males of her own kind. He gave her just a small amount of his blood, but the result was tremendous. Her body drew new strength from the blood and was able to heal. Somehow, the veteran found the three males who had done this to her – he slaughtered them all. The female never found out what happened, and the veteran never returned, never told his story - until the day he died, old and honored. If he would give her his blood, just a drop... maybe it would be enough to bestow her body the strength to heal itself. There was no law which would forbid such a thing, nor would there be another Yautja being foolish enough to try – except of the veteran, and him of course. Rhajk'de assumed that such a small amount of his blood would only have a temporary effect, but though he could not exclude possible side effects. No matter what will happen, he would have to bear the responsibility for it. He shifted in his chair, rumbling deep from his throat, staring at he female. He clicked to her as if he wanted to ask her for permission, aware that she would not answer. _Paya, I know you will let me suffer for this... _he thought and got up, preparing the injection for her.

* * *

><p>The sounds of unknown machines filled her ears, a sultry heat surrounded her and someone was using a sledgehammer<em> in <em>her head. Sighing, Robyn slowly opened her eyes. What the hell had happened? She tried to remember but the last thing she knew was the faceless head of that horrible creature right in front of her.

_I should be dead..._

Staring at he ceiling first, she let her eyes wander around the room she was in. It was mostly black, with red lights and buttons here and there. Also, there were several consoles and devices she had never seen before. As she sat up, Robyn recognized that the table she was sitting on was too high to even touch the floor with her feet. And, what was most important – there was large and elliptic porthole. Looking through it, she saw nothing but darkness and a slowly rising, blue planet.

_What the heck? I am on a spaceship? In space... On a spaceship...!_

She could not arrange her thoughts fast enough as her stomach suddenly decided to discharge its contents right now onto the floor. She wasn't sure what it was, her immense headache or the trauma of being in a spaceship. Maybe she was dreaming? No, if this would be a dream, that embarrassing patch of puke right underneath her wriggling toes would turn into beautiful smelling flowers. She couldn't stop staring at it.

_Eww. Charming._

With some difficulty, Robyn managed to get off the table and walked over to the porthole. Disbelief and wonder filled her eyes as she looked at the planet that seemed to be so close, but yet so far away. A slight fear overcame her, but considering that she was here because _he_ had obviously decided to save her ass, the fear lessened. Yet he had not threatened her or given her a reason to fear him, but he was no puppet or a jerk in a costume . He was one real, huge and without a doubt, dangerous and frightening creature. Robyn made a mental remark to better not forget that. She sighed, wishing there was a mirror in that room. Or something to erase her little accident there on the floor. Slowly and on bare feet, she walked through the room until she reached a narrow corridor. It was hot in here, maybe around 30 or 32 degrees, the air was thick and made it arduous to breathe for Robyn. But the more she inhaled, the easier it was. All of a sudden, she heard thundering footsteps not too far away and froze. Coming around the corner, Rhajk'de noticed the smaller figure standing a few steps in front of him. He stopped immediately, regarding her soft facial features for a moment. He could not help but give a slight trill and some curious clicks at her. He wore no mask, no metal armor and looked somehow... impressive. "Hey, big guy." she greeted him, smiling softly.

_Paya! She is alive!_

Rhajk'de approached her, adjusting his gauntlet to scan her. The fissures in her head were gone, his blood had obviously helped her. With a low growl, he walked past her and motioned for her to follow. Robyn didn't move at first, but when he gave her a slightly annoyed snarl she obeyed. Dumbfounded, Rhajk'de considered her little "present" on the floor.

"Uhm, I'm sorry... couldn't help it. Really, I don't think I've ever been this embarrassed..." Her eyes stuck at the floor in shame. Suddenly, she wondered about the weird noise he made. She dared to look at him and realized that he was actually laughing. It sounded strange, coarse and grimy.

He went over to one of the consoles and took the mask which lie on top of it. Equipping it and tilting his head to the side, Rhajk'de looked at her. _"My ship. Do not fear. Safe." _He informed her in a calm and deep tone.

Robyn nodded, searching for the right words to form the question she had in her mind. "Why? Why did you save me?"

_"Honor. Had to, you did the same for me. Still weak, badly injured." _

"I know... thought I'd be dead. What happened? I mean that thing, the other alien?"

_"Prey. Ultimate prey, Yautja hunt since ancient times. Xenomorphs, hard meat." _

"On earth? I don't think that was coincidence I mean... how did they came to earth?" He held her gaze for a moment, then he turned around and walked away. Robyn followed, still waiting for the answer to her question.

_"Bad bloods kept them on board, their larval stage. Escaped." _

"Oh..." was all she could say. Rhajk'de was not sure what to do with her now, she was not fully healed and he did not know yet if his blood had side effects on her. It would be best to keep her here for another day, but that would also mean to delay his hunt for the bad blood. When they reached the observation room, Rhajk'de stopped and motioned for her to sit down. Robyn took a look around, this room was much like the other, but it also had a big table and some more chairs in it.

_"You need to eat. Stay here, will bring you food." _

She felt quite dwarfed considering the height of that table or the width of those chairs. For a brief moment she cursed herself for her naivety, regarding to her current situation, it would be more than appropriate to freak out - so why didn't she?

_Better than being dead, Bobbie. Actually, it's kind of cozy here. Damn, my head is killing me, could be the air..._

Rhajk'de returned with a plate of food and placed it on the table. He sat down towards her and watched her eyeing the food. She picked a Naxa fruit, rolling it in her hand and sniffing it warily.

_Does she think I want to poison her? _"_Called Naxa, you will like this. Try." _

Hesitant and without losing eye contact, Robyn took a bite and made an astonished "mhhhh!" sound. "That's delicious, thank you Rhajk'de."

Well, that was a first. The first time she had called him by his name instead of "big guy." He approved of that and chirped at her contently. Though, he wasn't sure how to handle her name. Maybe he could simply give her another one? He thought back to the moment when he found her almost dead in the grip of the hard meat. She had tried to kill it with that ridiculously small knife... "_Da'hdtou-di!" _he trilled, and Robyn looked at him quizzically.

"What?"

_"Da'hdtou-di, suits good. Little knife."_

Wait, was he giving her a nickname? "No, no I don't think I like that. Why little knife? I'm not really...little, you know?" she asked, chewing on her Naxa.

He took the ceremonial dagger from his leg holster and rammed it into the table, making Robyn jump in her seat. _"Next time you want to kill a hard meat, should use bigger __knife." _

There it was again, that raspy laughter from hell – but Robyn didn't mind, it made her laugh, too. For what seemed to be an eternity, both of them said nothing and just ate. But Robyn could no longer ignore the fact that she needed to go back again, back to her home. "So... when can I go back, you know, to earth?"

_"Do not worry, will take you back soon. But you need to rest." _

Robyn nodded, knowing he was right. Though, there was another point to discuss and it didn't make her feel very comfortable. "Rhajk'de, is there a place where I can take a shower or something like that, clean myself...?" He tilted his head and much to her relief, he nodded.

_"Bathe, yes. Come, will show you."_

About an hour later, Robyn felt refreshed and relaxed like never before. Big guy really had a shower aboard, a huge shower. After he had shown her how to use it, Robyn had enjoyed it as long as possible. Wrapping herself up in a way too large cloth which seemed to be some kind of a towel, she wondered where Rhajk'de was. She still didn't know where to sleep. He awaited her in the observation room, somewhat shocked seeing her dressed in only_ his _towel. Hiding his astonishment, he motioned for her to follow him. With some taps of his claw on a touchscreen, he opened a door which led into another room. This room was different to the others she had seen. It was also very dim, but without all the technical stuff. It was sparsely furnished, only a small table and a chair, a console and the largest bed she had ever seen, right in the middle of the room. Robyn opened and closed her mouth slowly, not quite sure what to say. "Is that... your bedroom?"

_"Yes." _he stated dryly.

_Uh oh._

"But...?"

He tilted his head to her, sensing her stress. _"You may sleep here. Will stay on the bridge, do not need to sleep as often as oomans do." _

Robyn sighed and felt stupid. "Okay, thank you." she said, trying to smile.

_"The door to the left is another bathroom. The other door is none of your concern. Understand?" _His voice sounded determined but not threatening, and Robyn nodded in agreement. _"Sleep well." _he rumbled and left her alone.

Robyn just stood there for a while, staring into the darkness before she finally allowed herself to fall into the bed, creeping underneath the furry blankets. Although her mind was busy and she had so much to think about, the humming of the ship swayed her into sleep within minutes.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Rhajk'de sat on the bridge in his chair. It was true what he told her, he did not need as much sleep as an ooman did. But actually, he hadn't slept at all during the last two days. Net'ej would laugh his ass off seeing him like that, crouched into the pilot chair while the female slept happily in his bed. He grunted, rolling his eyes. There was nothing else he could have done, except he wanted to share his bed with her. <em>What? <em>Never had a female slept in his bed. Of course, he had often shared a bed, a floor, a table... with a female – but not**_ his _**bed. Though, he had allowed _her _to sleep in it and that somehow unsettled him. Rhajk'de tried to distract himself, figuring out what to do about the bad blood, considering his next steps. Surely he would not lose his head again and step into a trap, he would be very careful like he should have been before. Slowly, he felt sleep wash over him. But before he drifted away, a certain unsettling thought returned to him once again...

_In** my** bed. **Bare**._

* * *

><p><strong><em> <em>Dhi'ki-de<em> - coma, unconscious, death_**

**_Paya - a god, conquering warrior_**

**_Da'hdtou-di - Little Knife (feminine)_**

**_Naxa - type of fruit_**

**_Sei-i - "yes"  
><em>**


	5. Chapter 5

It was a clear and calm night as the vessel softly touched the grassy soil, stealthed and almost inaudibly.

Rhajk'de had selected a safe place to land about a mile from the females home. When she entered the bridge this morning she greeted him sleepily and smiling, but throughout the day she had been rather quiet and thoughtful. He was pleased that her injuries were healing so quickly, but yet he had not told her what he had done, that he gave her his blood.

_She must not know this, it will only serve to unsettle her. I have done what I could and have not found anything which would imply side effects or other disorders. There are more important things I should attend to, but first I have to return her safely. _

Rhajk'de took advantage of the silence, contemplating and planning on the upcoming events and his return to the clan ship. He had not been there for a long time and the honorable elder had requested his immediate presence. His task had not yet been fulfilled, but that would be not great a problem once he got rid of the female. Rhajk'de huffed, considering the term of "getting rid." It sounded a bit harsh, especially because it was not_ too_ bad having her around. Deciding he had spent enough time with pointless thoughts which would lead to nothing but more confusion, Rhajk'de left the bridge in search of the female, the time for farewell had come. After he had checked the environment, Rhajk'de escorted her to the exit ramp and once again towered over her, regarding her intently.

Her brows were pulled into a tensed expression and she was avoiding his gaze. The situation felt awkward to both of them and Rhajk'de had never been a Yautja of big words.

Finally, Robyn broke through the silence and looked up into his masked eyes. "I guess that's it, hm? Thank you for everything, big guy. And... uhm... I really enjoyed my little stay on your ship." Robyn wished she knew better words to express her gratitude, a simple "thank you" sounded so meaningless in her ears.

Rhajk'de huffed slightly and tilted his head to the side, a gesture she found herself getting used to. He chattered softly and said, "_This is mutual, Da'hdtou-di, am very grateful, too. Maybe not all oomans primitive and without honor."_

Robyn raised a brow at this statement and grinned when she heard him chuckle, then she reached up and placed her palm against the side of his mask. The gesture startled him at first and he gave a slight snort, realizing quickly that this was a sign of her appreciation. Not sure how to react, he put a huge hand on her shoulder, shaking gently. Sighing, she took a step back and regarded him once more before slowly walking down the ramp, a smile on her lips.

"Take care." she told him, and he answered her with a nod and a soft trill. Robyn turned her back to him as her feet reached solid ground again, then she just walked away. Actually, it was more like jogging, as if she could not get away fast enough. She heard the soft sound as the vessel lifted off, but she did not look back. In the middle of the night, somewhere in the woods, not far away from her house. It felt good to be back again, though it filled her with a strange sadness to know that _he_ was gone. The recent events had been a constant flood of input she stored somewhere in her head. She knew she had to deal with those things, handle them so she could get on with her life. Robyn swore to herself to stop running away.

* * *

><p>Rhajk'de was looking forward to be on the clan ship again. He would see his sire again and maybe some of his brothers. Also, he needed supplies. But mostly, weapons and gear. The chance to mate was pretty much zero, since he had missed the last mating season. Maybe that was the reason why he was so intrigued as he imagined the ooman female relaxing in his bed? Probably... He shook off the disturbing thought when the board computer loudly announced that his ship has successfully docked at the clan ship. Rhajk'de quickly passed through the lower levels of the clan ship and finally reached the area for the higher ranked hunters and warriors. Many hunters passed him by, greeting him respectfully or even bowing their heads.<p>

A large door opened with a hiss and Rhajk'de entered the main hall. His sire was there, talking to his brother as he poured himself a jar of C'ntlip. Rhajk'de stopped a few feet in front of the two and bowed his head. _"Greetings, honorable elder." _The elder approached him slowly, then he turned around and motioned for Net'ej to leave them alone. He obeyed and punched his fist roughly against Rhajk'de's arm as he passed by, grinning. He growled but quickly returned his gaze to the elder in front of him. _"Honorable elder, you wished to see me?" _

The dark eyes of the elder wandered around the room as he slowly walked around Rhajk'de, his hands folded behind his bac_k. __"Well, I did indeed, honored warrior. Arbitrator. I am pleased you have returned healthy, though I heard that one of the bad bloods did not receive his punishment?" _His voice was calm and low, but Rhajk'de felt that something was wrong_. _

_"Unfortunately, this is true. I guess my brother has already informed you about what happened?" _

_"Yes, he did. We already took care of that. You will set out to the homeworld as soon as possible for further instructions."_ Suddenly, the elder stopped in front of him and regarded him sternly but yet quizzically._ "When I was speaking to Net'ej, his description of the events did not fully convince me. I asked him to hand his mask to me so I may comprehend what happened." _

_Paya, no!_

"_Well, what I found was quite... interesting. Do not get me wrong, I do understand that you wanted to return the favor and save the ooman. You should not blame yourself for her death, she was not strong enough to survive." _

Rhajk'de felt himself stiffen, but the elder would certainly know if he tried to lie_. __"She did survive, honorable elder." _

Hearing that, the elder chuckled._ "I may be your elder, Rhajk'de, but I am also your sire. Do you think that I am dumb? What have you done to make her survive?" _

Rhajk'de huffed, looking rather dumbfounded. _"I gave her my blood so she may heal. As far as I can say, this had no further effects on her." _

_"As far as you can say? Since when exactly are you a medic? As an arbitrator, you should know what is right, and what is wrong. What you did was wrong, Rhajk'de. You had no right to interfere like you did. Although oomans are, and never will be of any concern to me or any other Yautja - you, my son, have disturbed and influenced the life of this female without her permission." _

_"Permission? What about hunting itself? Is that not an intervention in ones life? Why should I care now, when I never did before?" _

The elder snarled and brought some distance between him and his son_. "Of course it is, but it is something different. You yourself chose to not hunt them, you've always despised them. And now you are doing something that stupid to save an ooman's life? I simply do not understand." _

_"I wish I could give a reasonable answer, but I can not." _Rhajk'de admitted_. _

_"You are my firstborn young, the strongest of my offspring. But it seems that you are also the dumbest of my offspring." _The elder laughed. "_Despite your age, your wisdom and experience, you still know nothing about responsibility. A knowledge that every arbitrator should call his own." _

_"I mean no offense, but..." _Rhajk'de began, but was suddenly interrupted by a very angry elder.

_"Will you shut up! I am not done. You just can not do something like this, Rhajk'de, no matter who your are, younglood or elder. Have you considered the consequences? This could kill her, maybe even change her in a way that she will not understand. I will not discuss this with the high council as this is an issue between you and me. I know you are honorable, you have never failed me or our clan. But I would advise you to take responsibility for what you have done." _

_"Sire, will you dishonor me?" _Rhajk'de asked, not able to hide the discomfort in his voice_. _

_"No, no Rhajk'de. You have earned your rank, you have been an honored warrior for so many decades, an elite. Your choice to become an arbitrator might have surprised me, but I believe you are more than worthy. Nonetheless, you will have to take care of this. Maybe you need a good hunt to find your inner calm, to get your head free. Take this opportunity, Rhajk'de. After that, you will bring me the female." _

The elders last words made no sense to Rhajk'de. _"Bring the female, for what purpose if I may ask?" _

_"A medic will examine her. If you are right and she is not affected by your blood, you will return her to her planet. But if something is wrong with her... you will have to deal with that." _

Rhajk'de grunted, not understanding what that supposed to mean. Was the elder implying that he would have to kill her?

The elder sensed Rhajk'de's confusion and approached him again. _"I am not saying that you have to kill her, for that would be dishonorable. But you wanted her to live, you broke all the rules of morality by giving her your blood. And if this blood did something to her, you will be responsible for it. Do you understand this?" _

_"Yes, honorable elder. I will do as you propose." _

Rhajk'de felt stupid, so incredibly stupid. He was relieved that his actions had not cost him his rank, but he also knew that the elder would have an eye on him from now on. Right know, he felt like a youngblood again who has to prove himself on any occasion. But his sire was right, he needed a good hunt. After he had acquired an impressive set of weapons and new gear, Rhajk'de quickly left the clan ship in search of a suitable Planet to begin with the hunt. It took awhile to find what he was searching for, it was a small planetoid in a mostly uninhabited solar system. He had carefully scanned the data his ship offered for a creature he had only heard of. To his surprise, this creature was more than a myth. The planet was steamy, hot and hostile. It took him nearly two weeks to find it, and another month to finally claim its skull and spine as a trophy. It was a Jik'tehk, a mean beast about 9 feet tall and able to cloak itself. But this was not the result of technology, it was a natural phenomenon. It was a loner, too aggressive to live in a pack, too greedy to share its prey. Rhajk'de had stalked it for a long time, watching and learning. He took his time, savoring the feeling of freedom, enjoying the simpleness of a life without all the amenities. Life at its purest, roughest and most dangerous. The creature knew it wasn't alone anymore. Rhajk'de almost killed it, but it also nearly killed him. It had torn down his forearm and left him no other choice than to retreat. The limb was lost, but his will to take the beast's trophy had doubled. One arm more or less, that did not matter to him, it only deepened the triumph as he finally cut it's throat and a gush of warm blood rained all over him. It had been too long since he felt that way, victorious, strong, worthy. He roared out in the night as he took the trophy and finally began his walk back to his ship.

* * *

><p>About two months later, Rhajk'de was back on earth. It was easy to track her, but how could he explain her what happened, what he did to her and that she must come with him? High up in a tree he sat waiting, stealthed and silent. He watched as the female left the house in company of another female, they were laughing. He followed them to a large building, the loud and annoying sound coming out of it hurt his ears. There were too many oomans, and somehow he lost track of her. He waited until most of the people were inside of the building, then he sneaked to the backside of it, peering inside through a window. This seemed to be a place were oomans gathered for their amusement, he assumed as he watched them dance. Dancing was nothing new to him, but in his culture it served only for ceremonial purposes. Especially dancing males were something rather disturbing to him. Suddenly, something caught his attention. As the music changed he saw her, right there in the mist, in between all of those oomans. Da'hdtou-di was dancing, alone, and it was unlike anything he had ever seen. She held a drink in her hand, her hips swaying from left to right, sometimes they moved in a circular motion. She brought her hands above her head, then slowly down again...<p>

_I am gawping at a female like a hormone-charged unblood!_

He cursed himself, though he was not able to look away. He was captured in the scene, barely noticing all the other oomans around. But he was aware that most of the other females here preferred to wear less clothing than Da'hdtou-di did. He had no eye for them, no interest in watching them. But she, she was something different. His eyes were stuck on her, maybe because of the grace she put in her sensuous movements, maybe because of the distant look in her eyes. She smiled softly, but her thoughts seemed to be somewhere else, far away. He could not help but ask himself if this strange dancing was a part of ooman mating rituals, considering the very few clothes those females wore and the way some of them were dancing with obviously very pleased males. Was Da'hdtou-di looking for a mate? Rhajk'de growled lightly, how could she even be interested in those ridiculous, poor excuses for males? Rhajk'de forced himself to concentrate, there had to be a way to get her attention. The problem seemed to solve itself as Rhajk'de spotted her outside the building just a few minutes later. She was not alone. He hid himself in a small side street and suddenly had an odd idea. He clicked quietly, hoping she would hear it. It seemed to work because he saw her tilting her head up, looking around almost nervously. The others did not recognize the sound. He did it again and she left the group, slowly walking in his direction. Once she was close enough, he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her against him, covering her mouth with a large hand. He purred as he disabled the cloaking device. _"Be calm, will not hurt you." _he rumbled right beside her ear and felt her relax instantly. Rhajk'de let go of her so she may turn around, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Big guy? What the...?" She was frozen. All of a sudden, he grabbed her wrist and ripped the cigarette out of her hand.

_"Want to kill yourself?" _he hissed right into her face.

She still did not dare to move but raised her brow and gave him a confused look. "Actually, no, you giant ox! I'm trying to have fun. This is the first time in _years_ I go out dancing."

She was drunk, he could hear it. Just a little bit, but drunk enough to act stupid. _"Must come with me, will explain later." _He insisted and reached for her wrist again. Robyn shook her head violently, refusing to follow.

"You can't force me! Listen, I... I have a job again, I can't just leave!"

He tugged on her shirt, but she would not move. "I'm gonna scream." she stated dryly. Rhajk'de huffed and let go of her. She was right, he could not force her. Well, maybe he could, but that was not what he wanted. Somehow, she hesitantly reached for him, the look on her face was softer than just a few minutes ago.

"I can not leave just like that, you need to understand. I have a life Rhajk'de, I want to do it right. There are too many things I have messed up in my past."

He chattered lightly and said_, "Have messed up, too. Must do this. Will not take long." _She stared at him intently, considering her possibilities. After a long moment, she sighed and took a step back.

"Okay, let me make a call, alright?" Robyn left a message in the office, she now officially had a serious case of Gastrointestinal flu.


	6. Chapter 6

_**My muse... where are you?**_

* * *

><p><strong>Decisions <strong>

They sat in silence for hours, Rhajk'de in the pilot's chair and Robyn in another chair only inches away. She had agreed on going with him, but it was annoying that he hadn't even said a word since they had left earth. Robyn's gaze fell on his left arm again and she forced herself to finally break the silence.

"What happened to your arm?" His chair turned and he stared at her, still silent. She raised a brow, waiting. "Well?"

_"Lost it to a beast, during hunt. Replaced with artificial limb" _He stated blankly and continued his stare.

Robyn allowed herself to take a closer look at it. The forearm was modeled like his other, good arm. The same shape, the fingers, even the claws... It seemed to be made of a synthetic, non-metallic material, the surface was smooth and of a silver-white color. Whoever manufactured this piece of technology did not care about giving it a skin-like texture.

"Does it bother you that it looks different? I bet your scientists could make something like this look more... realistic? Your technology is superior to everything I've ever seen." Rhajk'de huffed and considered the limb for a short moment, then he looked at her again.

_"It is adequate, efficient. Can use it like a natural limb. Makes no difference, you understand this? Oomans are vain beings." _

"You're right, we are." Robyn sighed and focused her gaze on the black space in front of her, the vast nothing that surrounded the ship. "So, would you care telling me why I had to come with you?"

_"You will be examined by a medic on my clan ship." _

Robyn swallowed, examined? "Why?" Now it was her turn to stare at him.

_"Did something I should not have done... made you survive. Gave you my blood." _

"And that is not allowed?"

_"So to say, yes."_ Rhajk'de murmured quietly.

She was puzzled, why would he do something like that, why risk so much just to keep her alive?

_"No more questions now. Everything will be explained in due time, Da'hdtou-di. Do not fear." _

With that, he stood up and left the bridge, leaving her open-mouthed and dumbfounded.

Only a few hours later, Rhajk'de's ship was docking at the clan ship. Robyn watched in awe as the smaller vessel approached the huge mother ship, and a very large part of her just did not want to set a foot on that monstrous ship. She was human, a creature that Rhajk'de's species considered as nothing more than prey. When the docking process was completed, Rhajk'de waited for her at the airlock, clicking softly to her. Robyn took a deep breath and walked over to him, searching for his eyes. It was obvious that she was afraid, and Rhajk'de could only hope that she would stay calm and reasonable.

"I still don't think that's a good idea, big guy."

_"The elder has requested your presence, Da'hdtou-di. Nothing will happen to you, will protect you. Must walk beside me, do not make eye contact with anybody."_

* * *

><p>Rhajk'de had explained to her that this particular level of the ship was especially for the lower ranked Yautja, but it was also a place where a hunter could acquire weapons, armor and a wide range of various supplies. This place was a melting pot, and Robyn almost grabbed Rhajk'de's hand just to feel safe. Fortunately, she was able to suppress the urge to do so. She received a lot of strange looks but tried to ignore them, hoping that no one would further notice her. It did not escape her that the most Yautja on this level were male. All of a sudden, noise and unrest ran through the crowd and Robyn got nervous. When she looked around, Rhajk'de was gone. She tried to spot him somewhere, but there were just too many huge Yautja, chattering and clicking wildly.<p>

_Well, at least they don't stare at me anymore. _

Somehow she managed to jostle past the massive bodies, finally reaching the source of all the Yautja's excitement – Rhajk'de. Better said, Rhajk'de beating the hell out of another male. _Oh, great. _She thought, paralyzed by the scene in front of her. Both males were growling aggressively at each other, but the other male was clearly inferior. And then, something strange happened. Close to Rhajk'de's opponent was a female, but she was smaller than Robyn had imagined a female of Rhajk'de's species. Her belly was swollen – she was obviously pregnant. She had bruises all over her face and arms, one mandible looked somehow misshapen. She reached out for the male carefully, as if she wanted to tell him something. Despite everything that Rhajk'de had told her about Yautja females, this one actually received a hard shove from the male and fell to the ground, landing halfway on her stomach. He roared at her, and she humbly lowered her head.

Rhajk'de was furious. This male was without honor, mistreating a female like this. He had seen him yelling at her, wrapping his claws around her neck, threatening her. Actually, Rhajk'de just wanted to remind him that this female was to be respected – but that pauker wanted to fight. The female was unusually small, though a honorable hunter would see no handicap in this – but this male was nothing but filth. Abusing a female who carries young made him a bad blood - he had to take care of him. He was no match for Rhajk'de, but that did not stop him from attacking the arbitrator over and over again. But Rhajk'de brought him down in no time, his wrist-blades pressed against the bad blood's chest.

_"Ki'cte!" _Rhajk'de roared into his face, suddenly distracted by Da'hdtou-di who offered her help to the female Yautja who was still on the floor, holding her belly protectively. Robyn was not sure why she did this, but the female looked like she could need some help. She offered her hand, and the female considered her for a few moments, unsure what to think of the human. But then she reached out for Robyn's hand and got up. She might have been small in Yautja standards, but she was still towering over Robyn. She clicked something to Robyn and quickly disappeared in the crowd.

_"Da'hdtou-di, back off. Now!" _Rhajk'de barked, and Robyn took a few steps back.

_"Have you not trained your pet, honorable arbitrator?** You** should be branded as a bad blood for bringing this ooman Lou-dte Kalei." _ the defeated male growled.

Rhajk'de got on his feet again, grabbing the bad blood by his neck and walking over to one of the guards of this level, dragging him with him. _"Put him in a booth, I will take care of him later." _The guard nodded and led the bad blood away.

"I am sorry, I should not have done this. She is pregnant, I just wanted to help." Rhajk'de heard a low and soft voice say and turned around, looking at a very ashamed Da'hdtou-di. He huffed and carefully put a huge hand on her back as they started walking to the elevator.

_"Ooman, Da'hdtou-di. Very stupid." _Rhajk'de laughed darkly, noticing the slight smile on her lips.

"So... I thought no male would ever dare to threaten a female?"

_"Is true, but the female was very small. Do not understand why she was with the male, why she was down here. A male without honor and rank would possibly use such a small and submissive female as vent for his anger. To have no rank means to have no right, no chance to mate. Every other female would reject him." _

"What will happen to her?"

_"Will send a healer, he will take her to another level of the ship and take good care of her." _

The door of the elevator shut and Robyn looked at Rhajk'de questioningly. "Rhajk'de?"

_"Yes?" _

"She said something to me... didn't she?"

Rhajk'de knew what the female had said to her, but it somehow felt awkward to let Da'hdtou-di know what it was. _"Yes, she did. Will tell you later, you must focus on our meeting with the healer."_

Rhajk'de led her to a room full of technical stuff, monitors and other strange devices everywhere. Unlike Rhajk'de's ship, it was well illuminated and Robyn assumed it to be the examination room he told her about. She sat down into one of three large, white seats and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Big guy also took a seat but said nothing, and so they just sat like that for at least half an hour, in silence. "So... I know I'm really curious but... I need to know what she said. Please tell me, I can handle it. I heard a lot of insults in my life, don't worry about that."

_She thinks the female insulted her.. maybe it is better to let her believe this. On the other hand, it would be amusing to see Da'hdtou-di's reaction..._

"_She said, may Paya bless you..." _

Robyn tilted her head to Rhajk'de, surprised by the kind words of the female.

_"... and your vigorous and honorable mate." _

_What?_ Robyn couldn't believe that she really said _**that.**_

Rhajk'de watched her shift in her seat while she was looking rather embarrassed. Of course, the female was wrong to believe the ooman was his mate, but it was amazing to marvel at the various shades of red appearing on Da'hdtou-di's face. She remained quiet, making him feel awkwardly uncomfortable. What had he expected her to say? He stood up from his seat and walked over to the door.

_"Will look for Jin'ka, he is late. Stay here."_ he told her and left the room.

She blinked a few times, contemplating over the term "mate." Yautja do not mate permanently, so why would someone assume that she and big guy were... mates? But what confused her the most was the fact that she wasn't repelled by the whole concept of him and her... she sighed, shaking her head.

_Oh my... it's obvious, I'm about to lose my mind. When did I start to look at him... like that?_

Suddenly, the door opened and she found herself faced with another large alien. He stopped a few feet in front of her, regarding her intently. He was a little bit smaller than Rhajk'de but not less impressive. Instead of the usual armor he wore a long and dark robe, decorated with many different applications and patterns. Also, his tresses already began to gray and his crest was very pronounced. Not sure how to approach him, Robyn stood up and bowed her head slightly.

_"Greetings, ooman. I am healer Jin'ka. Please, relax. I will not harm you." _

Robyn regarded the older male with disbelief in her eyes. "You can... understand me, speak my language? But you have no mask to translate?"

_"No, I have no mask. Actually, this small device here is a translator." _he explained and pointed to a tiny metal knob attached directly under his chin. _"Do not worry, this will only take a few minutes. Rhajk'de will meet you soon. Please, position yourself in there." _he advised and motioned to something that looked strangely like a transporter from Star Trek. Hesitantly, Robyn stepped into one of the the circles on the floor and waited. Then, a red light surrounded her and after a few seconds, it was over. The healer approached her and held a syringe in his hand. _"I have scanned your body. All I need now is a blood sample. It will not hurt." _Robyn hated syringes, she closed her eyes and waited for the sting – but it never came. _"You can open your eyes little one, I am done." _He chuckled lightly and walked over to a desk, but Robyn could not see what he was doing.

"Honorable healer Jin'ka, may I ask you something?"

Robyn needed to know what would happen to her, what would happen if Rhajk'de's blood had somehow influenced her body.

"What will happen to me after this test?" she asked hesitantly, suddenly not sure if she really wanted to know the answer.

_"The elder will discuss this with both of you, if this test shows any oddities." _He answered without turning around. _"There is no punishment for you, you have done nothing wrong. I know this bothers you. But in the worst case, you may not be able to go back to earth again. This depends on the grade of the changes in your biology." _

Shaking her head, she went toward him but kept a suitable distance. "What? What do you mean I can't go back? Where am I supposed to live if not on earth?"

The healer turned around and looked at her, she was confused and very stressed. _"You would stay with Rhajk'de, he has taken the full responsibility for whatever his blood has done to you. You will have to find a satisfying solution for both of you."_

Robyn was speechless, the healers words had effectively silenced her. She sank down in the chair, running a hand through her hair.

_If I have been changed because of Rhajk'de's blood and I can not go back home again, he will be forced to care for me. How humiliating will that be for me? I would destroy his plans, his life, I would be a burden for him. This could never work, neither for me nor for him. And what about my family? I can't do this, this can't be true. Hopefully this test will be negative, the chance is not too small - I feel no difference to the time before I received his blood. _

"Healer Jin'ka?" she asked softly, looking up at him.

_"Yes?" _he chirped curiously.

She sighed and gave him a strained smile. "I could really need a drink, you know, some of the hard stuff?"

* * *

><p><strong><em> Ki'cte! - "Enough!"<em>**

**_Lou-dte Kalei - "Child Maker" (slang for female) _**


	7. Chapter 7

Unfortunately, Robyn's little session with C'ntlip had to wait until after the meeting with the elder. Healer Jin'ka escorted her to Rhajk'de's ship, explaining that he would meet her here soon. Later, she was surprised to see Rhajk'de without his mask, but when she took a closer look she noticed that he was wearing a small translator similar to the one Jin'ka had attached under his chin. It had been a while since she saw his face and she found herself intrigued again by those strangely beautiful amber colored orbs, the black pupils surrounded by a few reddish spots. Rhajk'de recognized that she was studying him intently and wondered if his face unsettled her.

"_Do I frighten you?"_ he asked and reached down to his belt to unfasten the biomask he had pinned to it.

Robyn blinked, realizing that she was notably staring at him. "No, not at all. You do not have to put on the mask, it's okay. Maybe you want me to put on a mask?" _ Maybe a paper bag? s_he thought, grinning sheepishly. Her face must be strange to him, too.

"_Not necessary, Da'hdtou-di, got used to it." _he answered and wondered if he actually wanted her to get used to his face. Although he was calm on the outside, Rhajk'de was very agitated. While the female was with the healer, he had time to think about the current situation. No matter what results the test will show, he would be setting out to the home world after it. Both of his brothers who had been slain by the bad bloods were honored warriors and died while fighting. They were high ranked Yautja and have earned the right to be buried on Nrakta'al, the sacred ground. Yautja did not know a funeral like humans did, they did not care much about such things. But when a high ranked male died and his body could be found, he was brought to Nrakta'al – if he had any relatives who agreed on bringing the remains there. This was Rhajk'de's task. To take the ashes of his brothers to Paya's sacred Catacombs, where their physical remnants would find their U'sl-kwe while their spirits went with Cetanu, the dark warrior. Not every Yautja was allowed to set his feet on Paya's grounds, but Rhajk'de was an Arbitrator now and there were only few who could outrank him. This task, however, was no order from the high council. It was Rhajk'de's very own, personal request to them. The high council would certainly also hand him a list of currently sought after bad bloods. Then, he would begin his hunt for those who were exiled and without honor.

"Rhajk'de?" Robyn's voice brought him back into the here and now, reminding him that the elder awaited them in the main hall.

"_Come." _he simply said and motioned for her to follow him.

* * *

><p>The great main hall was dimly lit by large candles and some of the red lights Robyn had seen in the corridors. Nervousness flooded Robyn as she spotted the elder, he was <em>huge. <em>He was clad in metal armor similar to Rhajk'de's – only decorated with much more carvings – and a heavy, black cloak. His tresses were of a deep black, long, mottled with gray and adorned with many rank rings in gold and silver. His imperious charisma almost forced Robyn to bow her head as he approached her.

"_I am Elder Hurkah, ooman. You are here on my instruction." _he said, followed by a gravely rumble.

Shaking, Robyn looked up at him, willing herself to speak. "I am honored, Elder." she said, still mesmerized by his massive bulk. His eyes roamed over her, then he looked at Rhajk'de, clicking something she could not understand. He growled quietly and turned to her again.

"_Jin'ka informed me about your... condition. As much as I had wished my son's blood would not have changed you – unfortunately, it has."_

"Please, would you tell me what is wrong with me?" she almost pleaded, afraid of his answer.

"_It did not harm you, female. But somehow, Rhajk'de's DNA has altered your cells. Jin'ka is still working on it, he does not yet understand it completely. You are still ooman, weak and inferior to us. But now, you have something in common with us. Your cells... somehow, their segmentation has been adapted."_

_What the heck is he talking about? Adapted, what does that mean, I don't want to be some kind of Yautja Mutant! _She panicked, fighting to keep her calm.

"Honorable elder, I do not understand, what does this mean?"

"_You will not change further, the process is completed. Do you grasp the meaning of this, ooman? Only your aging process has altered. You will age much slower, just like us. If another ooman would age 10 years, you would age only 2 of your ooman years. But this is a flexible process. You will age very slow, and as you get older, the process of aging will quicken. But it will never be as fast as another ooman would age. You understand this?" _

Her jaw dropped as she stared at the elder, then she turned to Rhajk'de. "How old are you?" she questioned.

"_Ooman years, 237." _he replied softly.

Turning back to the elder, Robyn formed another question. "If I may ask, what's a Yautja's lifespan?"

"_That depends on various factors, but I would say approximately 400 ooman years, some even older. Healer Jin'ka will explain it to you in detail, he has asked for you to visit him after this."_

That was too much for Robyn to handle. A part of her was relieved that Rhajk'de's blood would not change her visibly, physically for everyone to see - the other part was shocked and totally confused about that aging-thing. It was too much to grasp right now, she would need time to fully understand and accept what the elder has told her.

"_I will not forbid you to return to your planet, ooman. But you have to understand, if oomans ever discover your changes, you would probably spend your life in a laboratory. Also, other things should be taken into account. But this is up to you. And Rhajk'de of course, he knows that his doing caused your dilemma."_

Robyn wasn't able to answer anymore, her voice was gone. It was like her brain switched to autopilot, the last thing she felt was a large hand wrapped around her arm and leading her out of the main hall.

* * *

><p>"<em>You feel alright?" <em>a deep voice rasped, waking her from her almost comatose state.

"Huh, what?" Robyn muttered, blinking as she looked up and saw Jin'ka sitting towards her.

"_I was afraid you were ill, little one. You just sat there, staring at the table as I explained your condition to you."_

What happened, how the heck did she came here? Robyn couldn't remember anything after being led out of the main hall. _That must have been the shock, _she thought. She sighed and buried her face into her hands, still not believing what she had been told. The bad thing was that it was true. If she goes back to earth and something would happen to her... what if she needed medical treatment and someone would find out that she was... different? And there was no doubt about it - if this day would ever come, it will be her last day as a free and self-determined individual. What if she had children? What about a future husband, friends and family? Everyone will be gone while she still was "young." It would be impossible to hide herself, to live a normal life. Running away, again. No, that wasn't exactly what she wanted.

_A lab rat, that's what I'd become... _she thought bitterly, shaking her head.

Suddenly, the healer placed a small jar in front of her, filling it with a golden liquid. _"You still want a drink? But be careful, little one." _he warned her and chuckled as he sat down again.

"Of course I do, now more than ever." she answered and winked at Jin'ka as she poured it down her throat, now officially intending to get drunk from Yautja booze.

* * *

><p>Later that night...<p>

_Damn, that was a hell of a drink. _Robyn thought as she stumbled into Rhajk'de's room aboard the docked ship, totally proud of herself because she had managed it to get back here without passing out in the corridor. Her head was spinning, and somehow she felt sick. Tottering, Robyn pressed her right palm against the wall for support as she tried to walk over to the bathroom, her left hand slamming against the button near the door.

The door opened and she realized that this wasn't the bathroom. It was the room Rhajk'de had told her to not enter.

"Wow!" she gasped as her eyes wandered through the room. The walls were literally plastered with his trophies. Skulls and spines, large and small, from creatures Robyn had never seen or heard about. Just as she wanted to close the door again because of the sudden uncomfortable feeling that she did something wrong, she felt herself being pressed against the nearest wall. It was Rhajk'de, and he was furious.

His left hand pressed her shoulder against the wall while his right hand gripped her wrist, squeezing way too hard. He was so close, an echoing roar broke through splayed mandibles. All of a sudden, Robyn felt sober again. He had never done this before, never had he grabbed her so roughly, never had he been so angry. Fear rushed through her, her heart hammering in her chest. For long minutes he said nothing, it was frightening. "Dammit, that hurts!" Robyn uttered, but he just ignored her.

"_Have I not told you this room is none of your concern, ooman?" _Rhajk'de growled, still pinning her effectively against the wall. _"I have treated you with respect, do I not deserve the same?" _he hissed, and Robyn could swear his eyes were on fire.

What was wrong with that guy? "Rhajk'de, stop it!" she yelled, wiggling to get free. "It was a mistake, I had a few shots of... C'ntlip with Jin'ka... I just took the wrong door!" Within seconds, Rhajk'de's eyes softened and his grip around her wrist lessened. He took a deep breath and brought some distance between them. Robyn fondled her wrist with her right hand, it hurt like hell. She gave him a quizzical look, thinking that it might be better to just keep her mouth shut. But she regarded him extensively and discovered that his eyes showed an expression of confusion and regret. He clicked something and then he stormed out of the room without another word. Robyn was startled, maybe he had not hurt her on purpose and now he was ashamed of what he did?

_That was weird... big guy actually lost control, he always seemed to be so calm and settled. If I hadn't been so tipsy I wouldn't have opened that damn door. Shit happens._

Robyn was too tired to think about it any longer and as soon as she crawled into the bed, she fell asleep.

Hours later Rhajk'de had composed himself and returned to his quarters, finding the female sleeping in his bed. He growled low and sat down beside her, watching her sleep. The females' rumpled dark- red hair covered the cushions and her cheeks were still flushed from the alcohol. Actually, she was gently snoring. Rhajk'de trilled quietly, wondering about the odd sounds she made. He shouldn't have overreacted, it was not necessary to physically threaten her like he did. He laughed inwardly at the thought that Jin'ka actually offered her C'ntlip, no wonder that she couldn't find the bathroom. He still wasn't sure what to do with her, this was something they had yet to discuss. It could wait until tomorrow. He removed his armor silently and laid down beside her, pulling a thick fur over them. Rhajk'de was careful to keep an appropriate distance between him and her, then he turned his back to her and closed his eyes. He was very tired, too. His thoughts, though, kept on torturing him.

_An Arbitrator works alone. _He remembered his own words spoken to Net'ej, his youngest brother. Well, that was not true – not anymore.

_Da'hdtou-di... _

Now, _**that **_was something to be worried about – Rhajk'de realized that he felt connected to her, somehow. This recognition hit him hard, he had not intended such a thing, it would make things complicated. Awkward. Irritating. But he was old enough to know himself, there was no reason to deny the strange affection he felt for her. Though he did not understand why - and how this was even possible. She was anything but attractive in Yautja standards.

_I have not mated for a long time and it would be wrong to take advantage of Da'hdtou-di just because I can not control myself. Even to think of her like that is dishonorable. I do respect her and owe her my life, but everything beyond would be unnatural, sick. Wouldn't it? I wonder how Da'hdtou-di will decide, will she stay with me? Do I even want this? I do not know what to think of it. _

Rhajk'de tried to concentrate and get these thoughts out of his head. Only minutes later, sleep finally claimed him.

* * *

><p><em><strong> U'sl-kwe - the final rest<strong>_

_**Cetanu - god of death, the dark warrior **_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Don't kill me... couldn't come up with something better.**_

* * *

><p>An oppressive, throbbing pain raged in her head and Robyn was just not able to open her eyes. Groaning, she rolled on her side and pulled the fur over her head, mumbling unintelligible curses all the while. She wasn't sure for how long she has been laying there when a strange sound reached her ears. <em>Someone is... in the bathroom... <em>Sighing, she propped up on her palms and listened as she slowly forced her eyes open. In that sudden moment she saw the pile of armor parts near the bed. "Holy shit!." she blurted out, pressing a hand over her mouth. _Okay, okay, easy Bobbie, _she thought_, Big guy is in the shower. His armor is... right beside the bed. The bed in which I slept. No, he couldn't... he would never... he slept in here, with me, together? _Utterly confused, Robyn checked herself and a sigh of relief escaped her lips when she realized that she wasn't naked. She was not concerned about Rhajk'de taking advantage of her drunken state – she was rather worried about herself... _Oh lord, I would be embarrassed for the rest of my life, hopefully I didn't try to spoon with him or something like that. _

"Rhajk?" she called out but received no answer. Sighing, she heaved herself out of the bed and slowly walked over to the bathroom. To prevent another faux pas, Robyn covered her eyes with one hand while she stood in the bathroom door, listening to the soothing sound of a shower. "Rhajk'de?" she asked again, noticing that her voice was extremely low. Suddenly, the water turned off and Robyn couldn't help it, she took her hand off of her face and looked. The sight that greeted her was shocking and intriguing at once. The room was filled with steam, but she could still make out Rhajk'de's massive silhouette. The dark, greenish-brown skin covering a sinewy and well formed muscular body, the lighter color along his chest and further down... The clapping of his rank rings as he shook his tresses forced her eyes upwards again, now staring straight into a pair of gleaming eyes. Robyn had never experienced a moment more awkward. To stare at him like that wasn't really polite, but it seemed that her eyes were glued on him and she felt her face getting hot. Rhajk'de said nothing, he just stared back at her and purred curiously.

"I... sorry, I didn't mean to stare." she stuttered, watching as he tilted his head slightly to the side. All of a sudden, Rhajk'de stepped out of the shower and grabbed for a cloth to dry himself off. Robyn squeezed her eyes shut and shrieked.

_What is wrong with that female? I am healthy and in excellent shape! _he thought, clicking quietly. Then it dawned on him, oomans were not as open as his own kind when it came to nudity, and he obviously quite shocked her.

"Are you... covered?" she asked hesitantly, still keeping her eyes closed.

Rhajk'de chuckled and wrapped the cloth around his hips. _"Can look, Da'hdtou-di. Am I so unsightly to you?." _he questioned, somewhat smug.

Robyn opened her eyes again and cursed herself for screaming like a little girl. _Unsightly? Hell no, quite the contrary... _she thought to herself, still trying to keep her gaze on eye level. "No... I just wasn't expecting to see you... like that. Sorry. Uhm, I feel kind of wasted after last night. I can't remember... did we sleep in the same bed?" _That wasn't too hard, was it?_ she thought, slowly calming down again.

"_Yes. Was tired, sleeping in a chair is uncomfortable. Nothing happened, do not worry." _he answered and walked past her to dress himself. The female appeared to be relaxed again and Rhajk'de wondered if now would be the right time to talk about their upcoming arrangement. He still was unsure, he swore to take responsibility and he planned on keeping his word. On the other hand, it will be complicated to have her around all the time. He only slept two or three hours, there was just too much to think about. While the female still slept, Rhajk'de had set a course to the home world, they would arrive in a few hours. It would not take long to consult the high council, and although his sire knew about the female, it would not be wise to let the high council know. Not now.

Robyn remained in the bathroom to give big guy a little private space and, quite frankly, give herself the chance to come down from the high that seeing him almost naked caused.

"_We need to talk." _he stated, suddenly standing in front of her. _"Your choice, Da'hdtou-di. You wish to go back to your planet?"_

Robyn sighed, not quite sure what to say. A part of her wanted to just go home. But then there was the other part, the part that wanted to take this chance. A chance that was offered only to her, no other human would be able to actually travel through space, to see all the different planets, to gain knowledge about the universe that no other human could call his own yet. Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple.

"I... I don't know, big guy. There's not much I would leave behind, you know. It would be a lie to say I'm not interested in staying...err... with you? So much I could learn, see and experience... But I will not stay if you are not okay with it, you know?"

Rhajk'de tilted his head, regarding her intently. If he was not okay with it... he could only assume that she wanted his approval, she would not stay if he didn't want her to. Maybe it would be the best to give her more time to think it over. _"Will reach Yaut soon, have to speak to the high council. Afterwards, I will take the remains of my brothers to a sacred place. Enough time for you to decide." _

Robyn gave him a quizzical look. "To decide? Haven't you listened to me, big guy? Can't you just... throw me a bone?"

_Throw her a bone? Why do oomans have to speak so cryptically? _He wondered, thinking of a proper response. Rhajk'de looked at her, noticing her questioning eyes. _"Have done this to you, Da'hdtou-di, will take care of you... if you wish. Do not mind if you stay. Understand this?" _he responded softly, hoping that he could ease her confusion. She probably would be nothing but a burden, a constant pain in his ass. But who knows, maybe it wouldn't be _that_ bad.

Robyn gave him a weak smile, feeling somewhat better. Moments later, she was alone in his rooms. Of course, the thought of never seeing earth again was frightening. But she also knew that if she refused to stay, she probably would regret it for the rest of her life. _If life gives me a chance to see the universe, to do things no other human can do... who am I to say no? I want this, I am so curious..._

* * *

><p>The next day...<p>

Robyn was alone on big guy's ship. He had told her that he wanted to honor his fallen brothers, one last time. To do this, he needed the approval of the high council. Most of the time she spent inspecting the ship, sitting in the pilot's chair and marveling over the strange beauty of the planet beneath, or simply relaxing in the huge bed, letting her thoughts wander. From time to time, a slight fear tried to take control of her. All of this was so odd, simply crazy. Not a week ago she sat in her office and did taxes... _weird, _she thought, smiling to herself. The sudden hiss of an opening door ripped her from her musings and she propped up on her elbows, raising a brow as she looked at Rhajk'de. He trilled and gave a few quiet clicks.

"_Lazy ooman." _he mocked her and approached the bed, crouching in front of it. _"The council approved of my request. Nrakta'al is not far away."_

"Care to give me some details, big guy? Where exactly do we go?" Robyn questioned.

"_Nrakta'al, sacred grounds. A small planet in a near solar system." _Rhajk'de replied as he sat down beside her on the bed.

"So, you want to... bury your brothers? Why not on your home world?"

"_No. Will not bury them. But is easier for you to understand if I say it is similar to ooman funeral, yes. Nrakta'al is no nice place, harsh weather and dangerous creatures. But it is the place where Paya was born."_

Robyn heard something like pride in his voice and wondered. "I would like to hear the story?" she asked, still watching him intently.

"_Very complex, Da'hdtou-di, but will try to explain. Our culture is very, very old. Many thousand years ago, our species was still young and with little knowledge. In old legends it is said, that a mighty creature came to Yaut and found a child. This creature, we have no name for it. Legends tell that he abducted the small female and brought her to Nrakta'al. It appeared that he was the last of his kind, and so he taught her everything he knew. He knew, the female was special, she was different from all other Yautja. She learned quickly and as she grew older, she knew that she wanted to change the way that our species lived, to end the endless fights and wars between the clans on our home world. The creature was impressed. He left Nrakta'al for many years. While he was gone, the female had to learn how to live on her own. And she did more than well. She tamed the beasts on Nrakta'al, she hunted, she killed, and she survived. Inside the great temple, she developed the system of honor we have today, Da'hdtou-di. She founded our culture, so to say. Years later, the creature came back and what he found was not the child he had left behind. It was a strong female, fierce and honorable. He was intrigued that she survived, and more than that, that she had changed into something more. Paya, that was her name. And as a Yautja female, it was her wish and biological need to procreate. She claimed the creature as her mate, and he could not resist her warrior spirit, her passion and beauty. As they mated, his essence filled her and gave her a part of his power – she became immortal, a goddess. More than that, she gave birth to 6 strong pups, the greatest warriors in our history. With her powers, Paya was able to leave Nrakta'al and return to Yaut, where she shared her knowledge and taught the Yautja about honor and proper hunting. She changed everything and we honor her still today. It is the greatest honor for a warrior to rest where Paya became who she is today, a mighty goddess. You understand?" _Rhajk'de looked at Robyn, curious about what she had to say.

"I understand why this place is so special. What happened to the creature, did Paya return to him?" Robyn asked curiously.

Rhajk'de chuckled as he ruffled through her hair. _"No, she did not come back. Told you about Yautja females, Da'hdtou-di, not monogamous. She mated with many honorable males, yes. But no one ever again heard of the creature. And Paya... many temples have been built for her. But no one knows where she is. Her spirit, though, is always with us."_

Robyn took her time to let the story sink in, aware that Rhajk'de probably had skipped some parts of it. It was an intriguing story, of course, and it explained why the Yautja culture was a matriarchy.

"But Paya is not your only god?" she asked him.

"_No, she is not. But is another story, not today. Curious ooman, but am pleased you are interested. Very good." _Rhajk'de admitted with a Yautja - smirk. His throat was sore from all the speaking, but to be honest, he did not mind. If she wanted to stay, she needed to learn a lot. Still, the awkward feeling of being at ease with her was beyond his understanding.

* * *

><p>Later...<p>

"You know, I would like to come with you." Robyn stated, just to make sure he understood. Rhajk'de was clad in full-body armor and wore his mask, ready to leave the ship.

"_No. Too dangerous. Will not take long. Will contact you if anything happens. You remember the buttons I showed you in the cockpit? Contact me if something is wrong. Understand?" _

"Yes, I got it." she replied and watched him leave. Through the opening ramp Robyn could see the darkness outside, it was raining heavily and thunder roared through the night.

Having no idea what he meant with "it will not take long", Robyn began to get nervous. Five hours, he was out there since five hours. Robyn made a mental remark to find something useful to do while he was out – _if _she decided to stay. She still was not sure about that. She spent another hour standing in the cockpit and staring at the comm-device. She decided to use it – he did not answer. Slightly panicking, she tried to figure out what to do, finally coming up with the most dumbest thing to do.

The ramp opened, and Robyn looked outside. The sound of heavy rain and unknown animals surrounded her, reminding her how stupid the idea was to leave the ship and actually search for him. Within seconds, she was completely sodden. Robyn took a few hesitant steps forward, now standing in wet mud. There was not much to see, it was just too dark. Trees, shrubs, hills. Darkness.

_Get your ass back in the ship Bobbie, no weapons, no clue, no nothing... this is ridiculous! s_he admonished herself and turned around. Just as Robyn wanted to walk back to the ship, she lost balance and felt herself slip. She yelped, managing to grab a hold of a thick root with her left hand. Panting heavily, she took a look around only to notice that she had slipped into something like a muddy pit. Her feet did not reach the ground and her fingers hurt from the sharp-edged root she was clinging to. She felt warm blood slowly run down her hand and tried to reach the rim of the pit with her other hand. "Come on, you can do this!" she muttered to herself as she tried to climb out of the pit. _Too slippery... dammit, _Robyn thought, and then she froze. Almost hyperventilating, she turned her head and looked down, only to see something very big writhing right underneath her feet. It was too dark to see what exactly it was, but the ugly sound it made was enough, she didn't even want to know. "Crap!" she cried out and tried to get out of the pit, instinctively kicking at whatever was down there. Something was tearing at her pants, sharp teeth grazing her ankle, something soft rubbing against her leg. Her feet kicked harder and she heard a screaming quack. In utter panic, Robyn gathered all her strength and finally managed to reach solid ground again. Kneeling in the mud, she took a deep breath, then she got on her feet again. She felt like puking – where was the ship? She looked around, hectically and scared. She was lost.

Rhajk'de was almost there, he could already see the ship. His mask alarmed him of a unknown heat signature not far away. Activating the stealth mode, he approached the heat signature. A deep rumble escaped him when he recognized that the signature was Da'hdtou-di's – she was just standing there, covered in mud all over, soaking wet from the rain. Without a warning, he grabbed her roughly and threw her over his shoulder. Inside of the ship, he sat her onto the table and took off his mask. He was only gone for a few hours and she had nothing better to do than to leave the ship and take a walk outside. How was this supposed to work when he could not rely on her? He was angry and had to suppress the need to roar right into her face, scaring the shit out of her. But then he noticed her eyes, they were emotionless. She seemed to be shocked, and she was shivering violently. He took hold of her shoulders and forced her to look at him.

"_Are you insane, stupid ooman!" _he barked, staring a hole in her head. _"Told you to stay inside, this is the second time you disobey me!" _

Robyn's eyes found his, and she slowly came back to awareness. She was ashamed, how could she do something that stupid? She could have died out there, just because she wouldn't listen. "I... I am sorry. Please..." she said meekly. Although she knew he was mad at her, she did not avoid his gaze. Rhajk'de looked down and saw her hand – bloody.

"_Do not move." _he rasped and went over to a console, searching for a med pack. Rhajk'de approached her again and took her hand, intending to treat the wound.

"No, don't..." Robyn uttered and pulled her hand away. "You don't have to, please, let me do it myself. It's my own fault, really I... I don't know what's gotten into me. I was... worried."

Rhajk'de cocked his head, trilling in amusement. _"Worried, about me? That is... hilarious, Da'hdtou-di. Little female wanted to rescue big, mean old Rhajk'de?" _He could not help it, that was _too _good.

Robyn raised a brow, not quite sure what to think of his behavior. Only seconds later, a slight smile crossed her lips and she shook her head. "Won't do it again, really. I'm sorry."

Rhajk'de snarled and left her alone for a while, using the time to get the ship off the planet and setting a loose course which would lead them near the blue planet. He also assumed that the female was hungry and intended to find something eligible in the ship's hold.

* * *

><p>After Robyn had taken care of the scratches on her hand, she decided to have a bath. Similar to the shower, this tub was rather large, too. She wasn't sure how long she was inside, but it could've been hours. Finally done, she wrapped herself up in a cloth and left the bathroom. She was startled when she ran into Rhajk'de, who was just standing there like a rock, breathing heavily. Something was not right, she could feel it and took a few steps back. "Thought you wanted to get us some food...?" Robyn asked hesitantly, still not able to read the strange expression on his face. He did not answer but kept staring at her.<p>

"_I... need to leave." _he informed her, his voice sounded strained and gravely.

"Oh, really...? Okay." she replied, her eyes still watching him intently. "Rhajk'de, what's wrong? You look like... honestly, can't even tell you what you look like." Robyn was worried, again. Slowly, she took a few steps forward again and touched his arm as if she wanted to calm him. A low rumble escaped his throat and he started to purr, softly and urgently.

Actually, he really wanted to get some food. But when he returned from the bridge just as Da'hdtou-di disappeared in the bathroom, he became aware of a very familiar, yet so alien scent. He had not noticed it before, maybe because it was concealed by the scent of her fear and all the mud on her. But he could smell it right now, it was confusing, irritating, tantalizing. Rhajk'de knew he should not allow her to come so close, but he was frozen. Did she know that he could smell her? Should he tell her so that she may understand? He gathered all the discipline he had left and took a deep breath.

"_You... are in heat, Da'hdtou-di, should be careful." _he informed her, cursing himself for stating that so blatantly.

"I am what?" she asked quietly, somewhat puzzled.

"_Told you about... mating customs? You are... what do oomans say... ovulating? Fertile. Can scent you."_

Robyn took her hand away from his arm immediately, suddenly feeling herself blush in all the bright red colors.

_I'm pms'ing! He can smell... me? _A thousand thoughts flew through her mind at once. Was he just reacting to her scent? She could not blame him, it was a natural reaction... "I'll leave okay, better that way." She mumbled, suppressing an inner voice that challenged her to stay and see what happens. Robyn grabbed her clothes and stalked towards the door, but a huge hand reached for her arm, holding her firmly but not too tight. She couldn't move, caught up in the sensation of his heated skin against her own.

He pulled her to him, almost groaning when her body collided with his. For seconds, he said nothing and just stared at her, scenting her intensively. Minutes ago, he could scent that she was in estrus, nothing more than a biological process in a female's body. And minutes ago, he would have been able to discipline himself and let her leave – but now there was something else. _Paya, she is... aroused! _His mind roared, not able to grasp how that could happen. He wasn't even human, how could she feel that way? But the more important question was, how could he feel that way? _My seed can not take root within her, and yet I wish to mate with her so badly it is driving me mad. Why is she enduring this, why is she not running away? If she would touch me now, I can not guarantee anything... _

Robyn felt herself heat up quickly, her eyes still meeting his intense stare, searching for something... but for what? As if in a dream, she watched her own hand slowly reach out for him until her fingers landed softly on his chest, so hot it almost burnt her. She gazed at her hand, then back into his eyes – her gentle touch eliciting a sharp hiss from Rhajk'de.

_What am I doing! Oh my... , _she thought, and then she brought her other hand up, burying her fingers in his tresses.


	9. Chapter 9

**_Note: Just wanted to thank you for taking your time reading this, **_and also my thanks to those who have reviewed so far ;) _**_  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>All roads lead...<strong>

Trembling fingers, exploring the roots of these strange tendrils, the Yautja's equivalent for hair. While she had always suspected this "hair" to be sensitive, it seemed that its roots were even more so. Rhajk'de still held her arm firmly, unsure of what to do with his other hand. Her tentative caress sent shivers throughout his body and lulled him into a hazy fog of utter excitement he could barely keep under control. Her left hand still rested on his chest as her fingers contracted, blunt nails grazing over the thick skin all the while. A mere caress, the softest of touches, and yet he never had experienced something so extremely sensual done to him. Her eyes never left his, but there was no fear in them, no uncertainty. Rhajk'de only stared back, unable to react in any way other than instinctive. Could she really want this? Did she know what she was doing, what she obviously wanted him to do? He kept on purring, but it quickly turned into a deep and rumbling growl. Rhajk'de had mated countless times and countless females - but none of these experiences had prepared him for_ this_. None of these females ever has done what she did to him now, these gentle touches were so unfamiliar to him, strange and arousing at once.

He could not treat her like a Yautja female, unless he wanted to hurt her seriously or maybe even kill her if he wasn't careful. What was he supposed to do? As a Yautja male, he was used to dominant females, females that would grab him roughly by his tendrils - or other parts that were rather sensitive. Once a female had submitted to him, such a firm grab was the clear sign for him to mount her and deliver his potent seed, quick and vigorous if possible. Not that Yautja females didn't enjoy the act itself – they did. But the biological process was a bit different from a human's. Only if a male would pauk her severely enough to stimulate a special spot, the female would reach her peak and release an egg at the same time. After this, a male would only have seconds to reach his own climax and inseminate her before she would try to buck him off. Although his knowledge about ooman mating preferences was very little to non-existing, he doubted that Da'hdtou-di would find this pleasurable. There was nothing he could do but let her take the lead, at least for as long as he could bear it.

Robyn was lost in Rhajk'de's eyes. It was obvious that he enjoyed her caress, but why didn't he touch her? Although she had pushed her fear and doubts aside minutes ago, his passiveness somehow troubled her. Slowly, she pulled her hand away and placed it flatly on her thigh, nervously rubbing up and down. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked, as confident as she could manage. Rhajk'de clicked softly to her and loosened his grip around her arm, pondering.

"_You know what is about to happen? You... want this? " _he asked, totally bewildered that he really asked a female something subservient like that.

Robyn smiled slightly, his concern was legitimate. Well,_ technically_ she knew what was about to happen – but anything else would be new to both of them, she guessed. _"_I... I do want this, and... I want _you_. Do you not...?" Her last words died as his hands were suddenly all over her, talons running up and down her back, a cool artificial hand on her hip, squeezing firmly. Robyn reached for his upper arms and held on to them. He growled when she tugged his tendrils lightly and pressed her even closer to him.

_This is so weird... I want to kiss him, but how? _Kissing an alien who had actually no lips at all was a bit difficult. Robyn felt his mandibles graze along her throat as something wet and rough eagerly explored the crook of her neck. The thought of this being his tongue caused a tingling sensation and she instinctively bared her neck to him, allowing better access. Robyn inhaled the alien, musky and earthy scent of him, he was so close to her... Breathing heavily and with closed eyes, she allowed her hand to slowly run down his arm, then to his side and up to his chest again. She went further up to his neck and touched one of his mandibles, tentatively and careful. Rhajk'de stopped his ministrations and watched her eyes, not understanding what she intended to do. _No one_ ever touched them, especially not while mating. All coherent thoughts left him as she stood on her toes while the soft tip of her tongue stroked over the flexible skin of his mandibles, lazily exploring, lips gently nibbling. He groaned, and in an instant he had torn away the cloth she had wrapped around her body, leaving her bare for his eyes to see.

Rhajk'de's mandibles spread wide open as his eyes roamed over the female in front of him, taking in every inch of her. Her still damp hair hung over her right shoulder, her chest heaving up and down as she breathed. His gaze lingered on her full mammary glands, they seemed to be so much softer than a Yautja female's. Her rather narrow waist, the curve of her hips, these shapely thighs... Paya, he wanted to _touch_ her. He wanted to taste, to feel and to explore every single detail of this alien creature. _I want to, so very much__. She is submitting to me, offering willingly. But my need to breed her most vigorously is too strong, I can not think straight. What good does it if I take her without a second thought? If I damage her, she will not allow me to be with her again... _His last thought baffled him – what was he thinking? Rhajk'de snarled and took a step backwards, avoiding to look at her. He tried to control his breathing, concentrating on anything but this so very appealing female. Suddenly, a shrill alarm sounded and the ship shook violently. Rhajk'de rumbled and stormed out of his quarters, leaving Robyn standing – naked, and very confused.

* * *

><p><em>What the...? He did <strong>not <strong>just ran off, did he? I know I'm not perfect, but this seems to be a little... exaggerated? _There was no time to arrange her thoughts, something was wrong with the ship and the alarm still hurt her ears. Robyn hurried to put on some clothes and ran down the corridor. If this wouldn't be a spaceship, Robyn would think that it was an earthquake that jolted the ship like that. Reaching the bridge, she found Rhajk'de fumbling with the engine controls. "What's happening?" she asked, reaching for his arm to keep her balance.

"_Something hit us. Engine damaged, environment controls not working, must land." _ he mumbled, still busy with the controls.

"What does that mean,_ something_ hit us?" she exclaimed, looking at him intently.

"_Am not sure, maybe a small asteroid or wreckage. Sit down and hold on tightly, am about to land. There is a small planet close to us." _Rhajk'de explained and threw himself into a seat.

_No, no this isn't happening! _Robyn panicked and closed her eyes, waiting for the crash.

Robyn blinked, slowly regaining consciousness. Still, the annoying alarm sound rang and there was smoke, a lot of smoke. Blinking lights and loose cables, metal parts from the ship, huge and small. She was alive. Then it hit her and she cried out, a sharp pain creeping up her leg, making her almost pass out again. She propped up on her hands and looked around, hissing as she felt another pain from her left arm. She was bleeding, badly. Where was the big guy? She rubbed her eyes and looked around again. There he was, slowly approaching, kneeling down beside her and lifting her leg. She cried out again and slapped his arm. "That hurt, what are you doing?"

"_Leg broken, try to hold still."_ Rhajk'de rumbled as he patched up her leg.

"So, could be worse mh? What about you, are you okay?" Robyn asked softly, eyeing the bandage he had wrapped around his torso, covering his chest.

"_Am fine. Come now, must leave. Environment controls broken, air inside the ship will turn toxic soon."_

He rose up and offered his hand, but Robyn hesitated.

"How am I supposed to walk with a broken leg?" she looked up at him and raised a brow.

"_You will die if you do not try. Come now." _he stated and helped her up. The ship had crashed into a jungle and they needed to find a safe shelter until someone would come and pick them up, Rhajk'de had sent a distress call before they left the ship. Normally, crash-landing in a jungle wouldn't be a problem, but Da'hdtou-di was wounded – they _both_ were.

Robyn felt so miserable, she didn't understand why they needed to hurry so much. She limped after him, aware that she wouldn't make it very far if she continued at this speed. "Hey, big guy... how about a short break?"

Rhajk'de didn't agree with that. _"No. Not safe, too obvious. Somewhere on this planet is a hive, Da'hdtou-di, we must seek shelter." _he insisted, watching her.

"A hive, you mean those aliens...? Oh great, really, that's great. Rhajk I... I'm not really helpful. I am a burden to you and you do not have to wait for me." Robyn said, looking at him seriously. Rhajk'de considered her words and clicked softly - he would not leave her behind. Without a warning, he picked her up and took her piggyback. She shrieked and grabbed his shoulders, feeling somewhat awkward. "What are you doing, why you...?"

"_What do you think? Am carrying you. Now shut up." _Rhajk'de barked gruffly and marched on.

There was silence between them as they walked, and Robyn found herself wondering about this strange jungle. The soil was muddy and covered with an odd violet moss. The trees looked like monstrous mushrooms, and there seemed to be no animal life. Was that normal? She made a "mh" sound as Rhajk'de suddenly stopped and put her down, reaching for his plasma cannon. "What's wrong?" Robyn questioned in a concerned tone.

"_Not alone." _he rasped and looked around. His mask alarmed him that there were two heat signatures, unmistakably xenomorphs. Only two of them wouldn't be a problem, and he had already spotted a cave somewhere near. Robyn and Rhajk'de were back-to-back now, eyes roaming over the trees and bushes. He handed her his plasma cannon and extended his wrist blades.

"What? No, forget it! Gonna shoot myself." Robyn informed him, matter-of-factly.

For a second, he didn't know what to say – he just cackled harshly, still holding the cannon out to her. _"Green symbol, charge. All three symbols blinking, you shoot."_ he explained.

"Okay, I'll try." Robyn whispered back, asking herself why the hell she was whispering. Cautiously, she touched the green symbol to charge the cannon and waited. Her heart pumped in her chest, her eyes flicking around nervously. Suddenly there was a sound and movement in the bushes right in front of her. And there it was, a nasty black beast running in her direction. Her trembling fingers pushed the symbols on the cannon, the recoil sent her down landing on her ass. She saw with utter panic that the alien wasn't dead and crawled backwards. She shot again – and again. Finally, it went limp. For a few seconds, she just stared at it with wide eyes. Who knows, it could still be alive. Attempting to stand up again, she cried out in pain. It was impossible to even touch the floor with her left leg, it hurt too much. So she just stood there, on one leg and looked for Rhajk'de. He still fought, but the wrist-blade had already stabbed the black beast. He roared and the blades snapped back into the gauntlet, letting the lifeless body fall to the ground. In a mix of limping and awkward hopping, Robyn tried to reach Rhajk'de. He held his hand to his chest and his breathing didn't sound healthy. He just looked at her, saying nothing. With a grunt, he straightened out and lifted her on his back again.

They cave was not far away and as they reached it, Rhajk'de put her down carefully before he allowed himself some rest, too. He leaned back against the wall and took off his mask, taking a deep breath. As he looked down to his chest, he saw that the bandages were soaked with his own, green blood. Robyn looked at him, her face paled instantly at the sight. She crawled over to him, attempting to take the bandage off – but he caught her wrist, shaking his head.

"_You do not want to see this. Is ugly." _he said, his voice very low.

Robyn did not understand, had he lied to her? Back in the ship he had said that he was fine, why would he hide an injury from her? "Now _you _shut up and let me look! I know you have fresh bandages in that bag over there, as well as the medi comp and some pain suppressors, too. Please." she pleaded.

He let go of her wrist and looked away. _"No. Is for you, do not know when help will come. You might need pain suppressors soon, your leg pains you."_

Robyn shook her head violently. "And you are not in pain? I don't care what kind of problem you have with me seeing this wound, but I will take this bandage off right now, do you understand?" He remained quiet, his eyes just staring into nothing. Robyn pulled the bandage away, careful to not cause him more pain. What she saw drove tears into her eyes – a bloody green mess of flesh and tissue, something stuck in the middle of his chest, it had the size of her forearm. "What... what is that?" she asked, her voice was trembling.

"_Happened during the crash. Piece of metal, not sure from which part of the ship. Does not matter, can not pull it out."_ he told her quietly.

Robyn still fought her tears, her vision was blurred. "Can it be pulled out at all, maybe on the clan ship?"

"_Possible. It pierced my lungs, crushing my heart partly. Am strong, but... it does pain me."_ he coughed.

There was no fear in his voice, he sounded so... final. There was a chance that he would survive, if only someone received the distress call, if only someone would come and find them. Robyn felt so helpless, there was nothing she could do for him. "You're an ox, Rhajk'de, I told you once. You _carried_ me although you are so badly wounded and in pain, why have you done this?"

Rhajk'de chuckled strained and met her gaze. He did not answer, he did not want do answer. He only wanted to watch her face. Da'hdtou-di had tears in her eyes but she was not crying. She partly knelt beside him, the broken leg stretched out. Her ooman "hair" was a dark mass of messy strands, her soft lips slightly parted. She was looking so sad.

_I am a fool, _he thought bitterly. _I should not have pushed her away. Now she thinks I have rejected her even though I desired her, so very much. I still do._

It was - most likely- inevitable that he was going to die here. His time was running out. He did not know how it happened, or why it happened. It did not matter that he could not understand the emotions he felt towards her, these feelings he couldn't classify. But one thing was as clear as the day: she was _his_ Da'hdtou-di, and she belonged to him just as he belonged to her - his spirit, his body, even his literally smashed heart. Nevertheless, he was not able to voice these thoughts.

Rhajk'de's body went limp, his eyes were closed. Robyn blinked and carefully nudged his shoulder, her other hand gently stroking along his jaw. "Rhajk...?" she breathed, softly tugging one of his strands. "You're not dying now, you hear me!" she croaked, slamming her fist against his shoulder. For a moment, she just sat there and stared at him, unable to form a clear thought. Robyn curled into a ball of misery, ignoring the throbbing pain in her leg. She made no move, said no word and shed no tear- not even as Rhajk'de's body was being lifted onto a bier, they took him away. There were other Yautja in the cave, she heard them chatter and click – Robyn did not care. She was caught up in a bubble of haze and pain, ignoring everything around her, ignoring reality.

Suddenly, someone picked her up. She was being carried, again.

"_Come, little one. It is time to leave." _Jin'ka purred, his voice was soft and comforting. Robyn buried her face in his chest and finally, she wept.

* * *

><p><em><strong>No lemon so far, I know... but there will be some I promise! ;)<strong>_


	10. Chapter 10

Robyn had lost her sense of time, she could only vaguely remember how she got here. Here... where was 'here'? She cowered in a corner with her knees pulled up against her chest, arms wrapped around her legs and eyes staring into the darkness. Everything was so dull, so empty, so lost... Then it dawned on her.

_Jin'ka... Jin'ka picked me up, he took me with him as they... as they carried him out of the cave. He is dead. Rhajk is dead. I lost him._

Robyn took a deep breath, she felt so overwhelmed by her sadness, so utterly helpless. A lonely tear ran down her cheek as she forced herself to blink, somehow trying to pull herself together. There was a light invading the room, the door was not completely closed. Although she could not see what was happening, Robyn knew there was somebody out there. Voices, rough and gravely. Clicking sounds, urgent and agitated. She didn't want to hear them, she didn't want to accept what had obviously happened. Robyn closed her eyes and thought of Rhajk'de – her heart was aching with grief and despair.

* * *

><p>"<em>Where is the female?" <em>Net'ej asked, slowly approaching the healer who tipped something into his gauntlet.

"_She is resting, Net'ej. I have healed her injuries and gave her a light sedative." _Jin'ka replied in his usual calm tone.

"_Is she transportable? I would like to take her back to earth." _

Jin'ka clicked questioningly to the youngblood, his request made him wonder. _"Why would you want to do this, Net'ej? She has not yet expressed her wish to return."_

"_Because it is best to send her away, honorable healer. I do not like my brother having to take care of an ooman for all her life. I will never understand why he saved her, to tell you the truth. She belongs with her people as Rhajk'de belongs with his." _Net'ej replied, warily.

Jin'ka huffed and sat down into one of the large chairs, eyeing Net'ej intently. _"This is not your decision to make, nor is it mine. Rhajk'de has accepted his responsibility for her. Whatever they have discussed so far – we do not know of it. She has not spoken yet and we will have to wait."_

"_Honorable healer... If we tell her that he is dead, she would want to return to her world, where she belongs."_

"_What?" _Jin'ka barked angrily, _"How dare you, Youngblood! What do you think your brother will say to this, do you want to lie to your own blood? Tell him she decided to leave just like that?"_

"_I... I just want the best for my brother. He has a reputation to lose. I just thought this would be the most simple way to solve that... problem." _Net'ej's self-confidence was vanishing, he knew that his proposal was not the Yautja-way of handling things. It would be a plain lie, to be honest. But somehow, imagining his brother and the ooman together was... disturbing.

Jin'ka stood up and walked over to Net'ej, his face inches away from the youngblood's. _"I shall pretend to have never heard what you just said, Net'ej – if you will never speak of it again, you hear me? Do not dishonor yourself by weaving such intrigues, I thought you were so honorable, hm? Whatever will happen, happens. We have no right to intervene. And now, leave. I have work to do." _

Jin'ka watched the youngblood leave and went to his desk, checking the latest data of Rhajk'de's status. His circulation worked in acceptable parameters, though it would take a while until he will recover completely.

Rhajk'de was laying on the medical table, unconscious, permanently monitored by the computer. Jin'ka had done everything he could to keep him alive, several times thanking Paya for the Yautja's ability to heal immensely quick. Rhajk'de's cardiac muscle was regenerating already, but the damage inflicted to his lungs was too much. Jin'ka had to replace a large part with an artificial implant.

The female... well, that was another story. Her leg was broken, but this was no challenge for Jin'ka at all. After he had healed her, he brought her to his chambers and dimmed the lights. She did not speak, but the shock was written all over her face. He left her alone then, unsure how to ease her emotional pain. He knew that she thought Rhajk'de was dead, and maybe it would be best to let her believe this.

But Jin'ka was no fool. In his younger years he had hunted oomans, like the most of his hunt brothers did. He did not only hunt them but also studied them. Somehow, he was fascinated by those puny beings. His kink for oomans was no secret, but he never allowed himself to interact with one of them on a closer level. It was obvious – at least to him – that Rhajk'de and the female were connected, in a way that both of them could not understand. Rhajk'de was a stubborn Yautja and probably would never admit it, but Jin'ka knew that the honored warrior cared for the ooman. And seeing her crying because of him, mourning for him... that only confirmed Jin'ka's theory. Rhajk'de was an arbitrator now, and he would do his job just fine, of that Jin'ka was sure – but it would not be easy to bring that into harmony with the responsibility for the female. He trilled quietly, deciding that now was the time to tell her that Rhajk'de was alive.

* * *

><p>A soft clicking sound made Robyn look up, right into the bright eyes of Jin'ka who crouched down in front of her. She forced herself to smile as he brought a large hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently.<p>

"You healed my leg, thank you." she whispered, closing her hand over his. Robyn could not explain why she trusted him so, but this huge chunk of a Yautja radiated calmness, wisdom and familiarity.

"_How are you feeling, little one?" _he questioned, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Awful, honorable healer. Just awful... what about... Rhajk'de?" she breathed, her lips quivering as the words left her mouth. Robyn looked away, closing her eyes as another tear ran down her cheek.

"_There is no need to mourn for him yet, he is not dead." _he replied, giving a low and assuring rumble.

Robyn's eyes grew wide, she stared at Jin'ka in disbelief and clutched his hand. "He is...not? But I thought..."

"_Almost, yes. But he is alive. You can see him if you wish, but not right now. He needs a few hours to regain consciousness. Come now, you must eat. I would also suggest a bath." _the healer chuckled and stood up, offering her his hand.

* * *

><p>The next day...<p>

"_Ah, Rhajk'de, you are back." _Jin'ka greeted him, watching as Rhajk'de tried to get up from the medical table, groaning in pain. _"Lay back, you need to rest. You gave me a hard time patching you up again." _The healer rumbled while he studied the holographic display of Rhajk'de's thorax.

"_Da'hdtou-di?" _Rhajk'de asked hesitantly, looking up at Jin'ka.

_Ah, I knew it! _Jin'ka thought, smugly. _"The ooman is in my quarters, she is unharmed. We have docked at the clan ship recently, it seems that you need a new ship. We could not repair yours, unfortunately. I sent someone to prepare quarters for you."_

"_Am I functional?" _Rhajk'de questioned, carefully touching his chest with one hand.

"_You are. I hope you do not mind some more... artificial parts. I had no other choice, your lungs were not repairable. As your medic, I suggest that you take it slow during the next cycles. You should not overdo it."_

Rhajk'de felt pain in his chest, but it was bearable. He tried to remember the minutes before he passed out in that cave, he was so sure that he would die. Da'hdtou-di was there, looking at him so helplessly. He remembered his thoughts about her, his inexplicable desire to put all his reservations aside and just be with her. Right now, he was longing for exactly that more than ever.

"_Jin'ka... I wish to see her." _he said with great earnest.

"_You shall see your ooman, but not now. Rest, Rhajk'de, you need it." _Jin'ka replied as he injected a light sedative into Rhajk'de's arm.

_I do not need to rest, I need her. _Rhajk'de thought, surprised by his own certainty. The sedative affected him quickly, and a deep, dreamless sleep overcame him.

* * *

><p>Robyn's night was short and full of anxiety. Almost two days had passed since she was brought here, and still she had not seen Rhajk'de. Earlier, Jin'ka had escorted her to the quarters which had been prepared for Rhajk'de, Robyn guessed that he would be allowed to leave the medical bay today. As they stood in the main room, an awkward silence settled between her and the healer. Robyn's eyes took in her surroundings, noticing her backpack neatly placed onto one of the smaller consoles. Her questioning eyes shot back at Jin'ka while her mouth had problems to find the right words. "Am I... supposed to share this room with Rhajk'de?"<p>

"_Another clan is visiting, little one. Unfortunately, the clanship's living quarters are... occupied." _replied Jin'ka, watching her reaction carefully. _A plain lie! _His sense of honor admonished, _but it is not that Rhajk'de would complain, of that I am sure. Sometimes, one has to be pushed into the right direction. _

"Uhm, well, it's alright I guess... so, what am I supposed to do?"

"_Rhajk'de is in the kehrite right now, he wanted to train. Although I have told him to take it slow, I could not stop him. Until he returns, you are free to explore this level of the ship. Most quarters here belong to my medical staff and they know of your presence. We could have a drink together in a few hours, if you like." _Jin'ka proposed, unable to hide a little grin.

_Right, the last time that happened I ended up pinned against a wall... _Robyn thought, wondering why this sudden memory made her somehow feel... excited? "I would like that very much, thank you honorable healer."

"_I shall await you at the medical bay, then." _Jin'ka announced and left the room in his usual, graceful manner.

In her favorite chinos, a loose shirt and on bare feet, Robyn made her way to the medical bay. There was no need for shoes at all, the corridor floor was comfortably warm and so clean that one could actually eat from it. Robyn and Jin'ka mostly talked about Yautja society, a topic Robyn found highly interesting. He also told her about his younger years, of his chiva and all the trophies he had obtained, as well as his choice to become a medic. There was no doubt about Jin'ka's curiousness about the human race, and although he had hunted them, Robyn somehow felt safe and comfortable in his presence.

"_If I may ask, have you and Rhajk'de discussed the subject of your... further whereabouts?" _he asked tentatively while pouring himself more C'ntlip.

"Not really, I guess. We talked about it once but... I couldn't make a decision at that point."

"_Ah, I see... do you want to go back?" _

Robyn sighed and pondered for a moment, her hands playing with the empty jar in front of her. She had one drink and decided that this would be enough. "I don't know... I mean, it would be such a wonderful gift, such a great possibility for me. I always wanted to see the stars, even as a little girl I dreamed about it. I want to, very much. But there are people who care for me, my family. They will think that something has happened to me, something bad."

Jin'ka cocked his head and made a soft trilling sound, then he said, _"I understand. Would it make a difference if you could wish them farewell? If you could let them know that you are alright?"_

"Yes, I think so. But... there are other things to consider. Your kind hunts us humans, I would have no place in your society."

"_That is true. But you must also know that an honorable hunter would not kill a defenseless female. Females are highly respected, no matter the species."_

"I don't want to have to prove myself, I'm not pretending to be a Yautja, you know? I'm just me, Robyn Rosenbaum, a plain tax consultant with a lot of... errors." she smiled meekly and ran a hand through her hair.

"_You do not have to prove yourself. Besides, I think you already have. You would travel with Rhajk'de and if you both try hard enough, things will be just fine. And if that helps at all, you still have me to kick his butt if he annoys you."_

Robyn stared at him for a long, silent moment. Then they both laughed so hard that Robyn's stomach hurt after a while.

* * *

><p>With shaky fingers, Robyn entered the unlocking-code into the panel, watching the door open with a hiss. Rhajk'de sat on the bad, stripping his armor off and placing it carefully on a near seat. He turned his head to her then and rose up from the bed, clicking quietly.<p>

The words almost stuck in her throat when she saw him standing there, dressed in nothing but the loincloth. It was a riddle to her how this strange, alien male had become so precious to her, how her mind and body reacted to him so strongly. There was no question that she found him incredibly attractive. "Hey, big guy." she managed to say, with an almost shy smile on her lips.

"_Da'hdtou-di." _he rasped, sending a chill down her spine.

"I thought you... you were dead. There was nothing I could do... I am so relieved to see that you are alright."

He approached her then and trilled softly, placing huge hands on her shoulders, squeezing firmly. Heat ran through her body and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"_Am fine, but still weak. Do not worry anymore. We have to share this room, will take the floor. Bed is for you." _he told her calmly, his eyes fixated on hers.

"We could... share the bed?" she asked, suddenly feeling very insecure, almost ashamed.

Rhajk'de was taken aback by her suggestion. They had shared a bed before, but this time it was different. In the previous night at the medical bay, he had dreamed of her. He woke from it, finding himself unable to forget the dream, helplessly fantasizing about things that could have happened between them if he had not stopped himself, if they had not crashed in that jungle. Things that left him breathless, utterly yearning to know how it would feel like, with her.

"_Yes, if you wish." _replied Rhajk'de, carefully retreating from her to give her some space.

Robyn found herself in the bathroom, her back pressed against the door, eyes closed and hands balled into fists. _I need to calm down, he can sense my nervousness, he can scent if I... if I am aroused. God dammit, I **am** aroused. What am I to do, just sneak into the bed and hide myself under the covers? That won't work... _

There were so many questions in her head, what if he tried something, what if she responded? Would this be just an experiment, what will happen afterwards? _I don't want to think about it, not right now. I have to get out there, we're just sharing a bed, just sleeping. He had a surgery, I mean, he can't be thinking of sex now... can he? Why am__** I **t__hinking of sex? Arrrrrrghhhhhhhh! _Robyn took a deep breath and counted to three, then she opened the door again and quickly went to the bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin.

Rhajk'de stood beside the bed and watched her, not without a little bit of amusement. Only her head peaked out under the blanket, her hair sprawled over the cushions, her eyes staring at the ceiling. He swiftly got under the furs, too. Robyn tried to relax and made herself comfortable, pretending that she was totally calm, and very tired. Rhajk'de rolled on his side, waiting until she had found a proper position for her sleeping cycle. They were facing each other now, and Robyn could not stop looking into his eyes, those beautiful amber orbs, fixating her as if trying to look deep inside of her. "Well, uhm... good night, big guy." she said and turned around.

"_Sleep well." _he rumbled, utterly confused about the whole situation.

* * *

><p>Somehow, Robyn really managed to fall asleep. Rhajk'de on the other hand, could not sleep at all. He lay there, restless and tense, unsure what to do, what to think. The female slept with her back to him, only inches away. Her scent was so easy to catch, so easy to interpret – even in her sleep, the slight breeze of her arousal invaded his olfactory sense. But she was also very nervous, of that he was sure. Memories took control of him, the way she had touched him, her warm tongue on his mandible, her fingers on his chest. The soft sound she had made as he tasted her skin, how she had bared her neck to him... A shudder tore through him, and he had no other choice but to touch her, no matter the consequences.<p>

A dangerous claw reached under the collar of her shirt, effortlessly sliding it down and baring the delicious muscle between her shoulder and her neck to him. He was only looking, only watching the almost invisible hairs on her skin raising up, reacting to his touch. It was hard to restrain himself, to not ravish her right then and there – but Rhajk'de was patient and aware of the fact that he could easily hurt her.

He moved closer to her, scenting her more, letting his mandibles play with her hair while his hand slowly crept under the blanket to feel the smooth skin of her hip, her thigh. An almost inaudible sigh from her encouraged him to overcome the last few inches between them, finally feeling her soft curves nestle against his body.

Robyn wasn't asleep anymore, but she was also not really awake. She felt heat surrounding her, another body pressing against her, hot breath tickling her neck. Was this really happening? Unable - and unwilling - to argue with herself, she just gave in to the sensation that made her shiver and gasp. She pressed back into Rhajk'de's body, moaning softly as her own fingers sought out to find Rhajk'de's hand on her hip.

Rhajk'de propped himself up on his elbow while his other hand inquisitively squeezed her flesh, relishing her reaction to his ministrations. Carefully, he slid one finger under the waistband of her panties, playfully pulling it down a little bit. This time, she groaned and pressed into him even more, making his groin quiver in anticipation. Robyn almost cried out when his fingers found her most sensitive spot, igniting a thousand fireworks.

Her arm reached behind her to grab into his tresses and she turned her head a little, just so that she could gently rub her cheek against his jaw, her eyes still closed. "Yesss... please." she breathed, tugging at his dreads, encouraging him to touch her more.

He complied readily, feeling her wet heat right against his hand - the unquestionable evidence that he was doing that, that he was giving her so much pleasure. Rhajk'de caressed her then, her hand still on his own, guiding him as he slowly fondled silky skin and damp folds, all the while watching her reactions. She was breathing heavy now, feeling something hard against her rear, letting her know that he was just as hungry for her as she was for him. Curious fingers worked her faster now, applying more pressure than Robyn could take - she was shaking uncontrollably as her climax washed over her like a hot surge of fire, making her cry out in rapture.

To say that Rhajk'de was all hot and ready for her would be an understatement – his instincts urged him to subdue her, pin her down and mate her hard and fast. There were not many coherent thoughts left, but he knew that there was no need to prove his dominance. She was willingly yielding to him. Realizing that, Rhajk'de continued to stroke her body in firm but slow movements, kneading her soft breasts with eager hands. She whimpered, making his root ache to be buried inside of her. He petulantly ripped her shirt off with his claws, strong arms surrounded her like massive chains as he growled low right beside her ear. Robyn couldn't help but grind her hips against him, desperately trying to get closer.

"Want you." she muttered, her voice was rough with need. Rhajk'de had her under him in a blink of an eye, hissing and utterly thirsting for her. He hovered above her, dark tresses surrounding her face and tickling her shoulders. She opened her legs so that Rhajk'de could rest comfortably between them, arms propped up beside her shoulders. He just watched her eyes, they were dark with desire and without fear.

Robyn gazed up at him as her hands began their journey, starting with his mandibles, affectionately stroking them before she went deeper, down his chest and abdomen, finally reaching the hem of his loincloth. She tugged at it lightly, letting him know she wanted it gone. He purred as he reached down to unfasten it and threw it away carelessly. It landed on the floor with a clang, and Robyn's eyes landed on the proof of his arousal.

_Oh-my-god, _Robyn stumbled over her own thoughts, incapable of looking away. It was too dark to see all the details, but he was definitely damn huge. She reached out to gently touch and caress him - he felt so hot in her hand, heavy and hard. There were ridges, bumps and prominent veins - but instead of making her afraid or pull her hand back in shock, feeling him like that only fired her lust even more.

Rhajk'de groaned above her, head lolled back and eyes closed. This was the first time a female pleasured him like that, touched him so intimately at all. It felt breathtaking, maddening, intense. Every single synapse in his brain fired '_pauk her!'_ at him, every fiber of his body craved for completion within her.

When mating a Yautja female, this was a very, very dangerous position. Rhajk'de had to remind himself more than once that she was ooman, and that she would not claw or bite in an attempt to get him off of her.

_This disturbing cloth must go,_ he decided and shredded her panties, making her squeal. He lowered himself, adjusting his body so that he was on his knees but still close to her. One arm reached around her and under her back to lift her a little bit, his other hand gripped her hip. He leaned forward to caress her breasts with his tongue, drawing circles around the little, perky buds. Robyn arched into him with a wanton moan, her hands clinging to his upper arms. She closed her eyes and felt sharp teeth grazing her neck, her shoulder. _"Da'hdtou-di" _he breathed huskily into her ear, and then he penetrated her in one, painfully slow thrust.

Robyn cried out in expected, but still shocking pain. He did not move, claws entangled in her hair. He purred to her as he nuzzled her neck, desperately trying to soothe her. Her nails dug into his arms and she squeezed her eyes shut. The pain subsided quickly, but she was still unused to this feeling of being so entirely full. One large hand curled around her shoulder from underneath, the other reached down to her hip again, holding her down firmly. Robyn touched his face to make him look at her, then she smiled. Rhajk'de understood and began to move within her, his gaze now fully concentrated on her face, searching for any sign of discomfort.

Within seconds, Robyn had her heels pressed into his rump, her hips grinding up against him, matching his every move. She groaned beneath him, shamelessly and totally lost in the feeling of him, so deep inside her, stretching her in a way that made her toes curl in pleasure. Every ridge, every bump on his thick, massive organ was stroking her inside, rubbing every sensitive spot, eliciting sounds from her she did not know she could make.

He knew he would not last much longer. The way she responded to him, so sensuous and full of desire, so entirely open to him, for him. The feeling of her tightness enveloping him, caressing his greedy rod in a way he never knew, drawing him deeper inside her with every stroke he gave. His thrusts were agonizingly slow, but hard and deep – she wanted him, Rhajk'de, and not some ooman male who would never be able to give her what he gave her right now. This thought spurred him even more, and within moments, he lost control. He brought another hand under her back and pulled her up into his lap. Robyn wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his neck as he thrust up into her, digging his claws into her rear. He held her tightly, pounding her with all the strength he had, fueled by her sweet, soft sounds of pleasure.

It was too much to take, and Robyn felt her second climax building with a force that almost scared her. Hearing him growl so close to her, panting and grunting, she knew he was close to orgasm, too. His hardness buried so deep inside of her, his groin rubbing against her clit - she lost it then. Robyn threw her head back with a passionate cry, her body consumed in total bliss as she came hard all over him.

Rhajk'de followed shortly after, a violent shudder rippling through his body - the convulsing of her inner walls, to watch her explode like that was all it took_. Oh, Paya!_ He felt his testicles jerk and contract before he roared out loudly and erupted violently within her, filling her, giving her all that he had.

He cradled her gently in his arms then, still breathing heavy, still pulsing inside her. Claws lightly stroking up and down her back, mandibles rummaging in her hair. A few minutes later, he laid down on the bed and drew her with him, pulling the fur over both of them. Rhajk'de spent a few moments only watching her, trilling quietly to her, wondering how one could fall asleep so quickly. But he was exhausted, too. His body demanded sleep, he was still not fully recovered. He positioned the sleeping female comfortably against him, then he closed his eyes. There was much to think about, much to discuss – but not tonight.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Kehrite - battle arenatraining hall/dojo**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Whew... last chapter! :D**_

* * *

><p><strong>'dare to try'<strong>

She closed her eyes. Water rained over her, hot and soothing. The sound of it splashing against the metallic surface of the shower somehow washed her mind clean of any thought. It could have been minutes, or hours – she could not tell. Reluctantly, Robyn opened her eyes and lifted her hands up to look at wizened fingertips. She sighed and closed her eyes again, running her hands over her face, through her hair and finally resting them on her shoulders.

Waking up this morning, Robyn found that she was alone. She was no fool and had secretly prepared for that scenario – it was absolutely possible that Rhajk'de would regret what had happened. She couldn't tell what exactly happened in those minutes before she had the hottest sex of her life – in the middle of the night, firm hands had stroked her awake and triggered a desire she just could not stop, did not want to stop.

Though, she felt miserable right now. It wasn't that she was human and he was Yautja – Robyn had considered that more than once and decided she didn't care. No, it was more that uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty, the conflict between things she _knew_ being facts and things she _hoped _for.

Robyn had her fair share of sex – but what happened last night was... different. _Of course it was different, you're not the same species! No, no... that's not the point. He's Yautja, Yautja don't mate permanently, no commitments... Oh god, I'm so damned stupid, I knew that, and I __**knew**__ that just sex wouldn't be enough for me._

But on the other hand, Rhajk'de knew that she could never bear him pups – so why have sex with her at all? In Yautja terms, that didn't make sense. _I don't think they do it just for reproduction, maybe that's the main reason, but there is more to it. He enjoyed it, he caressed me, and the way he looked at me before... I swear I saw concern in his eyes, as if he were afraid to hurt me. I'm not sure about my feelings, but I know that I care about that big oaf, does he care about me, too? _

Robyn admonished herself, her inner turmoil was pointless. She just had to ask someone who knows how things worked among the Yautja, Jin'ka surely knew of mating and... well, Yautja relationships – if something like that even existed. And for the question of mutual care, there was only one way to find out... But that would have to wait - for now, she needed to find Jin'ka and sate her curiousness.

* * *

><p>The smell of mating hit him straight in the face, and Jin'ka was utterly dumbstruck as he watched the female enter his medical sanctuary. <em>Paya help me, this female is emitting Rhajk'de's dai-shui as if she had bathed in it! <em>

"_Greetings, little one. How may I be of help?"_

Robyn was very uncomfortable with the questions she had planned to ask Jin'ka, but she just had to know. "Honorable healer, I... I have some... questions. I know they may sound strange to you, but I would be very glad if you could give me some answers."

Jin'ka gave a low rumble as he considered her request, then he motioned for her to sit down. _"I will try to answer your questions."_

She shifted in her seat and tried to keep eye contact, feeling like a teenager again. "Uhm, well, I would like to know about... mating? I mean, Yautja mating..." _Oh god, that's ridiculous..._

The healer raised a brow ridge, wondering about her question – considering her scent, it was obvious that she had taken part in such a mating just recently. _"I believe you already know about that, do you not?" _

Robyn stared at him, dumbfounded. "But how do you know...?"

"_Your scent gives away much. Quite frankly, I have expected this to happen. I have noticed the... tension between you two. You know that in our society, the female is the more active and dominant part when it comes to mating. She chooses her mate very carefully, wanting only the strongest and most honorable sire for her young. Especially younger hunters must often fight each other to win a female's favor. And even during the coupling, she would test his prowess, she would try to fight him off. But I think that is not what you wanted to know... Very well then, there is no emotional bond between two copulating Yautja, little one. We are sentient, yes, able to feel the same variety of emotions that oomans do, but we feel it differently. Our emotions are raw and strong, they are … how do oomans say, straight forward. We do know and appreciate companionship, trust, honor, strength, respect, passion. Yautja males are hunters, nomads, traveling through space in search of new, challenging hunting grounds. We have never evolved the necessity of having only one partner, also, a female would not want to have a permanent consort for this would limit the... well, outcome. Biologically, this is unnatural for us. I do not know how to explain, this topic is very complex and I understand that you may not fully grasp it. Maybe you should use our library for further research."_

"I have thought so... Human emotions are complicated, and although we tend to express our emotions on every given occasion, I believe that these emotions are not always heartfelt. I mean, humans say things but they don't really mean it. At least, that's what I've experience with... men. I think that's the difference, or one of the differences. I don't know, maybe I have humanized Rhajk'de, somehow tried to ignore that he wouldn't feel... well, like I do." She looked down, suddenly feeling very stupid.

The healer tilted his head and trilled softly, the female seemed to be very thoughtful. _"What do you feel, little one?" _he chirped_,_ his questioning eyes studying her face.

Robyn sighed and considered her answer, not quite sure if it made any sense at all. "I don't know, really. I have learned to be... careful. But I do know that Rhajk'de means a lot to me. I care about him, I feel safe with him, comfortable. I've been thinking about it so often, and I am aware of the differences. I don't know what to say... I'm just confused." Robyn leaned back in her chair and ran a hand over her face.

Jin'ka leaned forward and carefully nudged her knee to get her attention. _"Little one, what I have told you... that there are no commitments – that is the norm. But there is also the exception. It is very, very rare, but not unheard of. Sometimes, if a male is tired of hunting, collecting trophies and siring hundreds of young, he may wish for a... companion. A female who would give not only her body to him, but also her heart and spirit. Just as he would give in turn. But this female must also choose him as her permanent mate. Mostly, both of them are elders, very experienced and wise. They know what they have achieved in their lifes, they know what they want. They do not wish for more offspring, one could say that this is not about the biological need to reproduce, but the need to share intimacy, both physically and mentally. They decide if the coupling is between the two exclusively or if they mate with others, too. The spiritual bond, however, would be just between these two. As I have already mentioned, that such a male and female find each other is unlikely, but not impossible."_

"Why are you telling me this?" Robyn whispered as she leaned forward, too, watching him intently.

"_I am telling you this because it is what you need to know. Rhajk'de's sire was my mentor, and so is it that I know him since he was a newborn pup. I was more than surprised that he brought you here, you must know that he never had any interest in oomans. I can tell you with sincerity that he cares about you."_

"What is that supposed to mean, you think he wants me as... as a 'companion'?" Robyn's cheeks heated up at her words, that couldn't be true, could it?

"_Your wellbeing was his first concern as he woke up in the medical bay. Rhajk'de is a cunning, vigorous and most honorable warrior, way ahead of others at his age. You have seen his trophy room, the sight alone would make a Yautja female accept him without even a fight. Do you know how many young he has sired?"_

Robyn frowned, not quite sure if she wanted to know_ that_. "Um, no?"

"_89. And you must know our females do not conceive so easily."_

She froze in place, with horror in her eyes – 89 children? _**89!**__ What the fuck? Okay, okay... he's 237 years old, I guess this should compensate that ridiculous number... still... 89 children!_

"_Please, little one, do not be so shocked about this. I thought that would make you understand that there is no need for him to sire any more young. For the last two mating seasons, he was not even near a female. Did you... enjoy your mating?" _he asked flatly, curious about her response.

"Okay, so he doesn't need any more children. But he could have... mated, you know, just for pleasure...?"

"_See, that is another indication for his wish to bond. You have yet to answer my question."_

Robyn squirmed in her seat, scratching the back of her head. "Uh... yes. Yes, I did, very much so. Jin'ka, how will I know, what do I have to do about this?"

"_Be patient, little one. All that I am saying is, if you do care about him, you will have to make compromises, that is also valid for Rhajk'de. Your bond would not be accepted so easily. Do not let your mind be soaked up in ooman morality or constrictions."_

"I mean no offense, honorable healer, but why do _you_ care at all? What is this to you, some kind of an experiment, do you just want to see what happens?"

Jin'ka gave an amused chuckle, fully aware of the fact that he was acting _very_ un-Yautja-like. _"Very clever, little one. It is true, I have a certain... kink for oomans. Ever since my first hunt on the blue planet, I found myself curious about you puny beings. I am merely intrigued, that is all. I liked to watch them, study and listen. That is why my translator works so perfectly, if you ever wondered. But that does not mean that I have respect for oomans – they are, nevertheless, without honor."_

"Wow, thanks! Guess I was right thinking you would see... _this_ as an experiment. I am neither some kind of test object, nor am I Rhajk'de's pet, and I am certainly_ not _puny and without honor. If you excuse me, I want to leave this place." Robyn snapped and left her comfortable chair, she needed to get away, no matter where.

"_Little one, I never said you were a test object. You must learn to listen more carefully. I am fond of you, have you not noticed?" _He said calmly, and Robyn only looked at him, totally bewildered. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but it just wouldn't work. Without another word, she left the medical bay, more confused than ever.

* * *

><p>Despite Jin'ka's earlier warning to <em>not leave <em>the medical bay, Robyn found herself in the lowest level of the clan ship. Some days ago, he gave her a translator for her use, if she ever wished to communicate with Jin'ka's staff. First, it seemed to be a good idea to stroll around a bit on this level, to see what the vendors here had to offer - she was desperately in need of some fresh clothes. That weird gown Jin'ka gave her to wear was rather... disturbing. But now, standing only inches away from the elevator that brought her down here, Robyn quickly realized how outright dumb that idea was. There were _hundreds_ of Yautja, most of them not even recognizing her – which was good, actually.

_Might as well roll with the masses, how stupid is it to just stand here, stiff as a rock? _She thought, moving forward with faked confidence.

She was instantly drawn to a small tent, its insides plastered with furs of all sizes and colors. The vendor ogled her curiously as Robyn's eyes wandered through the tent. _"Greetings, ooman. Have you found anything of interest?" _

"I am looking for clothes. Do you have any pants...?" she asked weakly, feeling not really comfortable.

"_Pants? I apologize, but I do not know what you are speaking of. I have some of the most beautiful and softest furs for you, I am sure your master would be very... pleased." _

_Great, really that's great, he thinks I'm a pet! _Robyn thought, bitterly. She bowed her head to the male and left his tent rapidly. Standing outside, Robyn searched for the elevator, but all these hulking Yautja blocked her way. She felt surrounded, overwhelmed and utterly lost.

Suddenly, her mouth was covered by a big hand and someone actually dragged her across the hall and pulled her into something like a drain. It was dark in here, and humid. Panic overcame here when she realized that she couldn't see anything. Her kidnapper took his massive paw from her face and roughly shoved her forward into another corridor, locking the door behind him. Although she could not see him, Robyn heard his heavy breathing and a light chattering sound.

"_Oh look, what do we have here?" _a gravely voice rattled, she didn't like the cocky tone in it.

"What do you want from me?" Robyn asked, pressing herself against the wall behind her.

"N_ot sure yet, it was merely coincidence that I found you. Pet should not come down here... unguarded." _

"I am not a pet!" she spat angrily, staring blindly into the darkness.

_"Are the ooman pet of that... annoying arbitrator! Do you not remember, little aseigan, how bravely you 'helped' my mate?"_

It dawned on her, slowly, but with terrifying clarity. This was the Yautja that fought with Rhajk'de. He had been exiled because of his behavior... so what was he doing here?

"You've hurt her, she was pregnant." Robyn stated, matter-of-factly.

"_You think I do not know of this," _he hissed and came closer, his breath cold on her skin, _"and now she has been taken away from me!"_

She flinched, unsure what he was up to. "You didn't seem to appreciate her, though."

"_How dare you, pathetic tarei'hsan! Do you have any idea how it is to be exiled from his own clan? Had no honor left, she was the only female accepting me as a breeding partner. They took her away from me, and now I have nothing! You think I do not wish for young, to continue my bloodline?"_

"Surely she didn't want you to hurt her baby! That's what you did. What the hell do you want from from me!"

"_Maybe, revenge. Have nothing to lose, impossible for me to regain my honor. No one will find me here, worthless female. I have my methods, can come and leave this ship whenever I want to. Can not risk to attack the arbitrator directly, would be a fool to even try reaching the upper levels. But fortunately, I found you... am sure your oh so honorable master would be devastated if someone... damaged his pet."_

"**I am**_** no one's**_** pet, and surely he isn't my master, you ignorant... imbecile!**" she cried, her anger peaking, "I don't give a damn about what you've done or not done, none of my business anyway! I helped you're 'mate' because I thought she needed help, that's all!" she inhaled deeply, shocked by her own screaming – she needed to calm down, now.

Her captor seemed somewhat puzzled about her outburst and, actually, started _purring. _

"Quit that purring, it's _not working!_" Although Robyn was scared that he might hurt her seriously just to punish Rhajk'de, she found herself astounded over the Yautja's habit of purring when a female is angry.

"_Does not matter, female. All that matters is that __**he**__ suffers. Denouncing me like that... how dare he. And what do you think happens when the elders find out that the arbitrator is rutting with his pet?" _her kidnapper snarled disgustingly, his talons slowly wrapping around her neck.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in the medical bay...<p>

Rhajk'de stormed into the room, obviously quite outraged. _"Healer, have you seen the female?" _he questioned impatiently, his mandibles quivering in tenseness.

"_Yes, Rhajk'de, only an hour ago. We had a little... argument. I told her to stay at the medical bay."_

"_She is nowhere to be found, neither here nor in my quarters. What kind of argument did you have?"_

Jin'ka frowned and pondered for a moment. _"Just a misunderstanding. I suggest you talk to her, soon."_

"_I will. But first I must find her, I do not wish for her to get in any trouble." _

The healer huffed slightly and went to his desk, opening the top drawer to take out a small technical device.

He handed it to Rhajk'de and studied him for a few seconds before he stepped back. _"This will detect the translator I gave her. But you must be in short range to her, otherwise it will not work. Do you have any idea where she could be?"_

"_The only place she has seen besides this level of the ship is the bottom level. I assume that she went there."_

Rhajk'de bowed his head to the healer and left the medical bay. Why would she go down there, did she ran away from Jin'ka? And if that was the case – why? Rhajk'de couldn't stop himself from wondering while he stormed through the corridors, maybe she was running away from _him_? Although he tried everything to distract himself, his thoughts were revolving around Da'hdtou-di. He was angry, because she had ignored orders - again. He was confused, because he could not explain his eagerness to have her close again. And he was excited, so very excited that she had given herself to him without hesitation. No needless questions, no doubts, no pointless ooman phrases – just the two of them, daring to enjoy and discover each other.

_By Paya, only to think of what we did makes me want to fill her again, and again. I can not deny it, there is more between us than it should be. How am I supposed to handle this... situation? I promised to care for her, and yet I want to do so much more. What would my sire think of me, or the high council? Will they find this repelling? I am of high rank, it is my decision alone, they shall not judge me for it. There is nothing wrong about it, I have achieved so much, my young are strong and healthy, my trophies impressing. I can not ignore this connection, it would do no good. It is simple, that is, if she would approve of me as her companion._

Rhajk'de left the elevator and paused for a moment when the detection device in his hand began to hum and blink. _ She is here, somewhere. I must find her._

* * *

><p>Robyn gasped, the hand around her neck tightened, and another hand had started <em>groping<em> her rather rudely.

"_Disgusting ooman, soft and yielding. Could never compare to a real female of my kind." _he mocked, pinching her nipple harshly.

" I'm not pretending to be Yautja, you ass. No need to compare." she croaked, angry and ashamed at the same time.

He snorted, the sound of it sent shivers of pure terror down her spine. Robyn swallowed hard and closed her eyes. All of a sudden, a loud roar echoed through the corridor and not even a second later, a sharp-edged whip had wrapped itself around her captor's neck and roughly pulled him backwards, sending him down on his rear. Another hard tug, and he found himself sandwiched between the cold, hard floor and Rhajk'de's large foot. Robyn was frozen in shock, wide eyes staring at the scenario. For a split second, she held Rhajk'de's gaze and saw his rage cooling down. But as he bent down to her kidnapper, that rage tenfold again.

"_You are lucky the female is watching, else I would rip your heart out with my bare hand and eat it in front of your dying eyes!" _Rhajk'de hissed right into his face as his mandibles flared in fury. Before the other male could respond, the arbitrator gave another sharp pull of his whip and sliced through the other male's neck, the last breath left his maw and his body went limp.

Rhajk'de's eyes found hers again, he could see the shock and fear in her. She said nothing, holding her breath. Robyn didn't even dare to blink, and certainly she didn't want to look down at the dead body under Rhajk'de's foot.

He said nothing as he took her hand, and she followed equally mute, totally lost in her own, silent refuge in her head. Robyn found herself in Rhajk'de's quarters, sitting on the over-sized bed like a neatly placed doll, unable to move or speak. To see Rhajk'de kill someone terrified her, she couldn't help her fear. But at the same time, she just _knew_ that he'd never lay a hand on her. _At least not in that way... _She shivered and took a deep breath. That's just what he is, it is the way of his 'people'. He is an arbitrator, he is the law. That male, her captor, had been exiled from the clan. He must have known that to return could end up in his death.

* * *

><p>Slowly, Robyn found her way back into the here and now, and she looked up to see Rhajk'de squatting near the door, attentively watching her. "I am so sorry, " she whispered, barely audible, "I'm only troubling you, maybe you should just send me home... I mean, I understand if you want to get rid of me..." Robyn felt miserable.<p>

Rhajk'de tilted his head to side, his mandibles moving slow and deliberate. _"Thought about that," _ he admitted, frowning, _"Da'hdtou-di, disobedient_. _Not want to control you, want to trust." _Rhajk'd_e_ added quietly, making her feel even more miserable.

"I just wanted to get away, don't know why... just think about everything, getting myself together."

"_You want to go home?" _he asked, his expression unreadable for her.

"In a way, yes, I want to. But for what? What am I to do with so many years to live, if I can't share them with... someone?" Robyn wasn't sure what exactly she wanted to say with _that_, but somehow she felt her heart beating faster.

Rhajk'de kept quiet and studied her, emitting soft clicks as he seemed to ponder. Suddenly, he rose up and approached her, slowly, and then knelt down in front of her. Robyn almost had a heart attack seeing that, her fingers nervously digging into the furs.

"S_hare with me," _he said, his rough voice nothing more than a deep rumble, _"do not know what to do, what to say. Want to take, want to give. Can give you much... if you want." _Rhajk'de decided that words wouldn't be enough. Huge hands settled on her thighs, squeezing them suggestively, rubbing up and down ever so slowly as claws grazed along the thin cloth of her gown. Robyn froze, her mind not fast enough to process what was happening, his proximity, those golden eyes fixating her with a warmth that scared the hell out of her and made her ache for him beyond rational thought. All of a sudden, there was no doubt about his intentions, not anymore.

She was tired of thinking, of questioning her own sanity, of feeling so damn insecure. "Yes..." she breathed, blinking away impending tears as she opened up her gown, letting it fall down on the bed before she sank into his lap and wrapped her arms around him. He growled and embraced the shivering female, holding her close to share the heat of his body. Below, Robyn felt his hardness prod against her. Already.

Mumbling incoherently, she reached down to get rid of his loincloth, but Rhajk'de grabbed for her wrist, stopping her with a growl. "Trust me, please." she breathed, and he allowed her to continue. She unclasped the annoying piece around his hips and shoved it aside, shifting so that she could slide along his hot length. She moaned in delight at the feeling, fingers playing with his tresses, lips kissing his mandibles, the tip of her tongue tentatively tasting the soft flesh of his inner mouth. Robyn touched her forehead to his, hips rocking back and forth leisurely, torturing them both with painfully slow movements. Robyn felt so raunchy, but when he started to rock against her she knew that he felt the same. His hands clawed at her succulent rump, supporting her rhythm, encouraging her to take her own pleasure while he was watching, burning with desire.

Was this some kind of ooman mating practice? As much as it was driving him crazy that he couldn't just plunge into her, it also felt so utterly good - he certainly wasn't about to complain. The female was, obviously, teasing him. And, according to her soft mews and gasps, she was enjoying it _much_.

He groaned, totally lost in these new, foreign sensations, still unaccustomed to cede control, to submit.

But even the most disciplined Yautja wouldn't be able to withstand that sort of temptation, and Rhajk'de had reached this point quicker than he had wished for. With her in his arms, he got up and took a step forward, carefully depositing her on the bed. Robyn laid back, propped up on her elbows, and looked up to him. She gazed upon his body, eyes traveling all over him. She felt a wet heat pooling between her thighs, and then she saw - for the first time_ really _saw - his intimidating organ, the color darker than the rest of his body, standing oh so proud and erect, making her mouth water. She reached out tentatively, fingers softly brushing along the smooth underside, from base to tip, feeling him twitch against her skin. Rhajk'de gave a full-body shudder and hissed, the rank rings in his tendrils clapping together as he threw his head back in blissful agony. She wanted to taste him, worship him, trace every single bump and vein with her tongue and show him the benefits of lush and soft lips, but the urge to have him inside was overwhelming.

"In me... now, please." she uttered breathlessly as she leaned back again, and Rhajk'de obeyed instantly, crawling on top of her with feline grace. His steady purr vibrated throughout her body as she turned over on her stomach, tilting her hips up to meet his crotch. He stroked down her back and cupped her rump with a firm paw, making Robyn squirm underneath him. Rumbling deeply, he leaned down a bit to lick along her spine up to her neck, feeling his painfully hard pole slide between the crack of her behind. Not able to wait any longer, he let himself sink into her tight, wet heat, groaning all the way in. He started to move, sensually grinding his hips against her, resting on his forearms. Carefully, he bit and nipped her neck, bending one leg so that his knee rested beside her hip to put more strength into his slow thrusts. Robyn moaned, her body reduced to a quivering mass of want.

"_You like?" _he rasped into her ear, feeling her body shiver violently. Until now, talking while rutting wasn't part of his repertoire, but according to her reaction, this seemed to arouse her very much.

"_Oh god **yes**, don't stop." _whispered Robyn, overstimulated and close to going crazy from need. She buried her head in the furs, panting as she pressed her rear up against him, arching her back, urging him to go faster, deeper.

Rhajk'de understood her lustful plea and developed a steady pace of intensive thrusts, letting her feel his whole length every time he rubbed into her.

He propped up on his palms as one hand gripped her shoulder, holding her down and massaging her at the same time. He sped up the pace, unable to suppress urgent grunts, too far gone to control the intensity of his strokes.

_Oh Paya, this female is killing me. I can not hold back any longer, this is too much..._

Robyn cried out at the maddening friction this position created, she bent her knees, bringing her lower legs up until her heels touched his muscled rear. The grip on her shoulder started to get painful, but she couldn't care less as waves of pleasure surged through her whole body.

"O_ooh, now... aaahh!" _Robyn mewed helplessly as she climaxed, clamping around his throbbing organ as if trying to milk him empty.

Rhajk'de watched her tremble beneath him, then he closed his eyes and allowed himself to get carried away with her, listening to their combined gasps and groans. His abdomen tightened painfully, he gave two or three last, sharp thrusts and felt his hot load spurt into her as he held absolutely still, slowly coming down from his high. He bent down and embraced her tightly as he pulled out of her, tasting the salty sweat between her shoulder blades with his tongue.

Robyn was in heaven. She just lay there, tired as hell but endlessly content being held in those alarmingly strong arms. It could have been minutes, maybe hours, neither of them said anything. But then, Robyn felt something twitch between her thighs.

_Ah_,_ guess he's ready for round two. _She smiled evilly as she turned her head a little, raising a brow.

"Eager, are we?" she teased and wiggled her hips seductively.

Rhajk'de huffed slightly, growling low as he reached down to her hip, lifting her pelvis up a bit to let her feel his need for her. _"Always, for you. My mate." _he purred hotly and buried himself deep inside of her, once again.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Aseigan - Servant<em>**

**_Tarei'hsan - unworthy opponent_**

**_Dai-shui - Yautja musk_**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yep, that's the end - maybe not a good one, but I just feel that this story is over.<strong>_

_**I am working on another story, but it will take a while to finish the first chapter, want to do it right.**_

_**Thanks to all of you who have read, reviewed and maybe even enjoyed this, it means a lot to me.**_


End file.
